"\u003C!DOCTYPE html\u003E\u003Chtml xmlns:xlink=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\u0022 xmlns:xsi=\u0022http://www.w3.org/2007/XMLSchema-instance\u0022 xmlns:mml=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Chead\u003E\n    \u003CMETA http-equiv=\u0022Content-Type\u0022 content=\u0022text/html; charset=utf-16\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cmeta name=\u0022viewport\u0022 content=\u0022width=device-width, initial-scale=1\u0022\u003E\n  \u003C/head\u003E\n  \u003Cbody style=\u0022font-family:sans-serif; font-size:100%;\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a29be01170684a3aa201af238688149d\u0022\u003EThursday, 24 March 2011\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022519919ee7d414ed3889e94acdecfcf67\u0022\u003EThursday, 24 March 2011\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000002\u0022\u003EMr Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000004\u0022\u003EPrayers.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220fbf3b39292e4287afbc4f89576bade8\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227f1a0ebc2f5941e2acb3ec7a7fcdcbe1\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u00220f42b1022e6447bcb7d2c22a3d387a92\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220f42b1022e6447bcb7d2c22a3d387a92\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Minister of Civil Defence)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Acting Leader of the House: Next week the House will be adjourned for 1 week. When the House resumes on Tuesday, 5 April it is the Government\u2019s intention to make further progress on the Financial Markets (Regulators and KiwiSaver) Bill, the Securities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill, and the Legal Services Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022 data-id=\u0022d1aa8b50d2c947428b02006da787881f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d1aa8b50d2c947428b02006da787881f\u0022\u003EHon STEVE CHADWICK (Junior Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I ask the member whether the Government intends to pass any legislation under urgency in the next 2 sitting weeks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u00228fd417364b054bc699b1c5c12316f58e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228fd417364b054bc699b1c5c12316f58e\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Minister of Civil Defence)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Acting Leader of the House: The Government intends to make progress on its legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b6589b3833464acbac2198de16f39905\u0022\u003EQuestions for Oral Answer\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229a63d7e297184d35b614cbe21fd8160d\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bd3dbf4765534c77b4d792fb05aa5f3d\u0022\u003EEconomy\u2014Reports\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00222114e10e4e474502a0908acdff6eda35\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222114e10e4e474502a0908acdff6eda35\u0022\u003EJACQUI DEAN (National\u2014Waitaki)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u002286a02f1001c24a71be2f89f1453261a4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002286a02f1001c24a71be2f89f1453261a4\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Today the latest release of GDP data shows that the economy grew by 0.2 percent in the December quarter and by 1.5 percent in the last calendar year. This largely confirms what other indicators are telling us: that the economy was growing very moderately through the second half of last year, as New Zealanders increased their savings and paid down debt. However, it was the highest annual growth in the last 2 years, and the economy has expanded in six of the past seven quarters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022676396d105614b96b58d6b4097642e63\u0022\u003EJacqui Dean\u003C/span\u003E: How does this compare with growth in the recent past and expected future growth?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d5eca380dba452485c222fa3e310cd3\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: In the 2008 calendar year the economy contracted by 0.2 percent, and in 2009 it contracted by 2.1 percent. However, most commentators and forecasters agree that growth is likely to accelerate over the next couple of years, driven by a combination of lower interest rates than expected, strong commodity prices, continued Asian growth for our export markets, quake rebuilding, and the Rugby World Cup. They are forecasting growth reaching 4 percent or 5 percent over 2012 and 2013.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a3ba808b155647299f443825d4ccac3e\u0022\u003EJacqui Dean\u003C/span\u003E: What implications does today\u2019s data have for interest rates and inflation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b42df2ac51e3428d9af043e3faf30c0c\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: It certainly does not signal any particular change. Both interest rates and inflation are likely to stay low for some time, reflecting the fact that the economy has been pretty flat and there is plenty of spare capacity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022badf6abc628045c68c8a1c665f2b2885\u0022\u003EWorking for Families\u2014Changes to Payments\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022 data-id=\u0022a59faec8eae84969b2c0914cfe3e44da\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a59faec8eae84969b2c0914cfe3e44da\u0022\u003EHon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Will he rule out making cuts to Working for Families payments this year; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u002210e660c2fd1946f89817a4b61fb59663\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002210e660c2fd1946f89817a4b61fb59663\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes; if there were to be any changes to Working for Families they would take effect after the election, probably from 1 April next year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c3bc9272eba54da68845833859fdc9b8\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: Did he say: \u201Cthere will be no changes at all to Working for Families under an incoming National government and the reason for that is we want to ensure that there is certainty and there isn\u2019t greater complexity in the system.\u201D; and does he intend to break that promise?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b20c5ea1660a4f968e7d175d093f9405\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The Government has kept its word. We have maintained Working for Families and therefore security for families\u2019 weekly incomes, despite the fact that since the Prime Minister made that statement we have had a global financial crisis, we have had finance company meltdowns in New Zealand, and we have had two major earthquakes, as well as flat economic growth. I think that is a major achievement of this National Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad60f5fa10004e25942c17c272419625\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was very clear and asked whether he intends to break that promise. I did not hear the answer to that question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229e8b966d74a43e4b17b8b7be93bad6a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I heard the answer very clearly. He said that no, the Government has not broken its promise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d179a6ab63c4acf8917a31a179b1f8b\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae4911a07ba34840ac513cd61078fe86\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I do not need any further time wasted on it. In his previous answer the Minister made it very clear\u2014[Interruption] If the Hon Pete Hodgson wants to remain in the House he will not interject while I am on my feet. I am not in a mood to be trifled with this afternoon. The Minister\u2019s previous answer stated there would be no change until after the next election. The member should listen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b7b63d055d34c95a11d764673525ac5\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I did listen, and I resent the reflection that I did not listen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c79ed50f4ae54b42ba8df365d4cbb1ae\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I apologise to the member. Please just ask your supplementary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022930d6132b8d545f8a36409e457738c80\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: Did the Prime Minister also say: \u201CI\u2019ve said earlier there will be no changes. People will not be worse off under Working for Families.\u201D, and will National continue to honour that promise?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2c9a3e7ecb24aeaa09897e1ed42a7ee\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: As I explained to the member, National has honoured that promise. If there are any changes, as I explained to him, they would come into effect after the election. It seems to me that keeping that promise, despite the fact of a global financial crisis, finance company meltdowns, and two major earthquakes, is a remarkable achievement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b8414b7f4bc4c99acbf43f1bbe5a071\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: When those promises were made, were they qualified with the words \u201Cwe will honour them for 3 years\u201D or were those promises unequivocal?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227d49f559650d4f9bb76082e5724fe0b0\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The promise was made and has been kept. If there were to be any changes, we would do what any respectable Government would do, and that is go to the electorate with those changes. If they are endorsed we would implement them, and if they are not endorsed we would not implement them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c3dcb7d8b6b459995a87f9a6e0b305a\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: Did the Prime Minister\u2019s colleague the Minister of Finance say: \u201CWhether it\u2019s national super, or student loans, or Working for Families, we\u2019ve said we\u2019d leave that stuff alone and we have, despite the fact that we\u2019re running a large deficit.\u201D, and does that assurance still stand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c3861230fa4447490625d0e38a029cb\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I give the same answer I gave to questions about the Prime Minister\u2019s statements: that is what has happened despite the fact we have had a global financial crisis, a couple of large earthquakes, and a finance company meltdown, as well as dealing with the leaky homes problems. These things have incurred billions of dollars of extra costs for the Government. We have stuck to what we promised, and any changes in any of it would be put in front of the electorate at the election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ed4a2e4361b46e4b4aa294244b2b579\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: When the Prime Minister talked about cutting Working for Families for those whose joint household incomes are over $100,000, is it correct that cutting Working for Families for those whose joint incomes are at that level would return only $1.7 million, as the Parliamentary Library sets out?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226bd4e982c16f472bbcb71620aeace44d\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I have not seen the Parliamentary Library calculations, so I cannot comment on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022361c1428f35842778d1485a3b01f02b7\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave of the House to table the workings of the Parliamentary Library, which point out that the savings for joint incomes over $100,000 would be $1.7 million.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e372104bfa1547ed9569892f3b6baa2d\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240b5e30c1796484694b51cd3f4b12f4f\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: If the savings on cutting back Working for Families payments to those whose joint incomes are at that level are so insignificant, can he give an assurance to this House that any cuts to Working for Families would actually dig down to people whose joint incomes reflected each income probably being less than the average wage?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b692e38889114453907c18bacc17ecc9\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The member will have to wait and see what decisions the Government makes in that area, but he ought to keep these things in proportion. Those same families are currently paying about 6 percent on their mortgages, whereas under his Government they were paying 10 percent. I think they are grateful for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022769d3c6b02dc4ac4ad9c547d1d02cc17\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: What integrity do the promises of the National Government have when it has already broken the promise not to increase GST and when he is now telling the House that National is going to break its promises on Working for Families, and probably on KiwiSaver as well? Where is the integrity?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224202f4df6ad7428aa5b128b7cadcc3ac\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I am not sure today is the day for the Leader of the Opposition to make claims about integrity around public statements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225da3ae25a02d4ef18785bd8bdc321061\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002242a22a9e64be48e69f838c24fd4a3f0a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member should know that his own leader has raised a point of order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002276dc5f5f60634d94af12f38b929ed8d2\u0022\u003EHon Phil Goff\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, I think if you reflect on that answer you will see it went nowhere near addressing the question. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220147106429b94fdfa6071fa2923b5136\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: There will not be any comment when I am on my feet\u2014I got to my feet to make sure there was no comment during a point of order. The member should reflect on the question he asked. He basically accused the Prime Minister of lacking integrity, and, surprise, surprise, he got an answer that questioned his own integrity. He should not ask the Speaker to intervene under those circumstances. He should reflect on the question asked.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220c540edb45a54e3c921135a1b1af5964\u0022\u003EChild Abuse and Neglect\u2014Changes to Family Start\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022 data-id=\u00227681986efb024ba78696c8b2459e12ab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227681986efb024ba78696c8b2459e12ab\u0022\u003ETIM MACINDOE (National\u2014Hamilton West)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What changes is the Government making to Family Start to ensure a greater focus on protecting children from abuse and neglect?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u0022bfd041c00eb0466a90b625a19d570065\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bfd041c00eb0466a90b625a19d570065\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E I announced today changes to the governance, design, and delivery of Family Start. We know early intervention works. We know home visiting works. It is the right approach. But the research shows that Family Start\u2019s focus has drifted over time, and that effectiveness varies from provider to provider. We can do better.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b3c3e8742264da2919ce74712994666\u0022\u003ETim Macindoe\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Government making these changes to Family Start?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022804e7a85597a4926978f3b90eeb8e67b\u0022\u003EDAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Family Start currently delivers services to 6,000 families at a cost to taxpayers of $30 million, which is the largest Government spend on any early-intervention programme. We can do better by these children and their families. They need us, and I am fully committed to ensuring that we will do better by them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225f187c697b2042048e0d65c8d817d44a\u0022\u003EBeneficiaries\u2014Prime Minister\u2019s Statements\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022 data-id=\u00227346a12e6aa24a7394b8da999c3cd9a2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227346a12e6aa24a7394b8da999c3cd9a2\u0022\u003EHon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader\u2014Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree with the Prime Minister that \u201Canyone on a benefit actually has a lifestyle choice \u2026 some make poor choices, and they do not have money left\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u0022affc82cc3b6b4c2384491a6fa9d6ee4f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022affc82cc3b6b4c2384491a6fa9d6ee4f\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, I agree with the Prime Minister, but, as per usual, the member has taken the quote out of context. He was also right when he said: \u201Cthis Government has, through a number of policies, tackled problems that, under Labour, simply removed hope and opportunities from the lives of those people.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221cf6bd6f7d064dc6b71a8d6936332ac4\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Is she aware that her department is sending 25 people a day to just one budget adviser in South Auckland to have budget reports carried out for them because they cannot pay their bills, and has she been advised whether the reason that they cannot pay their bills is poor lifestyle choices or the rising cost of living?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e27a860a0825479a8f7755e1c5d1c97b\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: The member should be aware that changes were made in September last year under Future Focus, when we were sending more people for budgeting assistance. So it is hardly a surprise that we are sending more people for budgeting assistance. It is something that was introduced last year as part of policy changes, as something that is being productive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221b3a69f1615b4288b99c4e4e84a88d9c\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Does she consider Major Campbell Roberts of the Salvation Army to be a reliable commentator on social issues in New Zealand; if so, what does she say in response to his comments that he could not understand why Mr Key made the remark about beneficiaries and lifestyle choices, and called it \u201Ca very foolish statement\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022afc71372184c4c4781760b417ecac8c8\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Actually, it is a good opportunity to thank the Salvation Army, particularly for the work it has done most recently in Christchurch. That has been really appreciated and has been a time when the Salvation Army has stood out. I think it certainly has a role to play for those people who need it most, and its work quite recently has really shown an example of that. So this Government is very supportive of the Salvation Army.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222c39f123e48b4cccaeaec3bbbe6c2ad6\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with the statement 1 month ago by the Christchurch City Mission head, Michael Gorman, that it is not a matter of the poor making poor choices, but of the poor having few options to choose from, and could the rising cost of living\u2014including increased costs for rent, petrol, and milk\u2014account for the biggest rise in food parcels ever given out by the Salvation Army?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b0ae0ea47fd74359bb9f47eed0db57c6\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: We have seen under this Government an increase in the number of hardship grants that have been issued, and also of special needs grants. Next week we will see benefits going up again, under the CPI increase, by more than 1.75 percent. That will help more than a million New Zealanders. As the Prime Minister has also said, we have seen wages increase by more than 16 percent, particularly for those on low incomes, so I think we are seeing that help go exactly where it is needed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225ea1868ac636490198730889ac4a0f31\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Does she still stand by her statement that a lot of women went off the benefit because of Working for Families, and is she prepared to back her comment about National keeping Working for Families, when she said \u201CI\u2019m kind of pleased they are\u201D, or will she be joining Mr Key and Mr English in their publicly stated determination to change it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e7cc9c3c5da949b39df8e068324b7f32\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I am sure that if I started to quote that member\u2019s three-word sentences, then I could come up with the same sort of displacement that she just did. But, yes, I certainly stand by the fact that we have seen women, in particular those on the domestic purposes benefit, get the balance adjusted between the benefit and the right sort of tax incentives so that work then becomes easier and better for them. Getting that balance right is a key part of this Government\u2019s focus.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221cc0b6de57674b0a85e46286c70e89ff\u0022\u003EEarthquake, Christchurch\u2014Minister\u2019s Meeting with Business Leaders\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022 data-id=\u002257fe6f37d18e431fb180d2d7eca5d073\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002257fe6f37d18e431fb180d2d7eca5d073\u0022\u003EKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National):\u003C/span\u003E My question is to the Minister of Civil Defence\u2014[Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283902bd2acc74588889293000c63f0a0\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I apologise to the member. I say to members, on the National benches on this occasion, that I have called one of their colleagues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022 data-id=\u00224ae7bcc0f2794a5daf3aaa99cd50df9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224ae7bcc0f2794a5daf3aaa99cd50df9c\u0022\u003EKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Civil Defence: Did he meet with business leaders in Christchurch yesterday to discuss the civil defence state of national emergency operations; if so, what was the outcome of that meeting?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u00224aa3c2af7799418db37de3b0c8140650\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224aa3c2af7799418db37de3b0c8140650\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Minister of Civil Defence):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, the national controller, Steve Brazier, and I met with representatives from the Central City Business Association, the New Zealand Retailers Association, the Canterbury Development Corporation, the Canterbury Employers\u2019 Chamber of Commerce, and the Canterbury Business Recovery Group. The meeting was to address issues that business owners have raised with the national controller about access to businesses in the cordoned red zone, and planning for business continuity in the wake of the 22 February earthquake. I am pleased to report that it was a very positive meeting, and civil defence is working to meet business owners\u2019 pressing needs to access their vital records, property, and stock. Helping to restore business activity in Christchurch is a key focus. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f1af6a126c04b48af78014116cc3e23\u0022\u003EKanwaljit Singh Bakshi\u003C/span\u003E: How will the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management progress the outcome of the meeting?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ab245ba5d3e46fe8770ceccec01f749\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: The national controller is carrying out a stocktake of buildings within the cordoned red zone to give clarity to business owners about the current state of their business premises, and to reassess the situation after last weekend\u2019s 5.1 magnitude aftershock. Where possible, work will be undertaken to secure businesses and property or stock that owners cannot yet access\u2014for example, doors may be shut and locked. A team is now set up to do that. The ministry is working with business leaders to find out which businesses are in the affected buildings. After combining that information with a building stocktake, they will be able to map out how and when businesses can retrieve what they need to get their businesses back up and running. This work will remain subject to the maintenance of people\u2019s safety. The ministry fully appreciates the concern of business owners who want to retrieve the information, property, or stock that will enable them to continue their business operations. The national controller and his team are working with business leaders on this, and are making good progress. They are talking to them every day and have been in contact with them since the day after the 22 February earthquake.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a1444db90ba34c6091852480dd550cdc\u0022\u003EGDP\u2014Forecasts and Prime Minister\u2019s Statements\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022 data-id=\u0022e99edde10a774c83be7333a84dea841f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e99edde10a774c83be7333a84dea841f\u0022\u003EHon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour\u2014New Lynn)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: Who was right: the Prime Minister, who predicted that the New Zealand economy would grow \u201Creasonably aggressively\u201D in 2010-11, or the last four quarterly NZIER consensus forecast updates for GDP, which have progressively declined from 3.2 percent to just 0.8 percent for the year to March 2011?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u00220885fab50a8d44bbbaba714dd510892e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220885fab50a8d44bbbaba714dd510892e\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E The Prime Minister was certainly correct. His comments were made in March 2009 and he said that he believed that growth in 2010 would be positive. It turns out that for the 2010 calendar year growth was about 1.5 percent. At the time the trough was negative 2.8 percent, so it was aggressive growth from a low trough.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b439b2d5ef9418183e183bb1f949f7d\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: Which of the following three quarters of growth in 2010 would he classify as aggressive: June\u2019s 0.1 percent, September\u2019s minus 0.2 percent, or December\u2019s 0.2 percent? Is it more accurate to describe these figures as indicating that the economy has come to a standstill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec4ba9671ba44db996dc36dd298b2eda\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: A standstill would, I think, be zero growth. For the 2010 calendar year we had 1.5 percent growth. That was not as high as we would have liked or was expected, actually, 12 months ago, but given the depth of the recession, when the economy actually shrank by 2.8 percent, it was not a bad effort. The reasons the economy has been growing more slowly have been rehearsed here many times: people are paying off debt, they are restricting their spending, and our exports are growing. That is the right direction for the New Zealand economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022de16f144f65d417d8d6ff953143d27b6\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: When he criticised as conservative Treasury\u2019s prediction of just 0.4 percent extra growth over 4 years as a result of his $14 billion tax cut, was this quarter\u2019s meagre 0.2 percent what he was hoping for?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d1e9ea9d40945b6a022b7c725728a6e\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: Using the word \u201Cconservative\u201D is not a criticism; it is actually, in the current circumstances, wise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022776a2683af264aee9e174f1997436ea8\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: Was Treasury correct when it forecast that 66 percent of the GDP write-downs expected over the next 4 years are unrelated to either of the earthquakes, and are, in fact, the result of a failing economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7c5aebb0c244dc8b4e7482d403731f0\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I think Treasury has been quite straightforward. The flatter growth it is expecting this year is roughly one-third because of the earthquake and two-thirds because people are saving more than expected, being more careful with their spending than expected, and doing less borrowing than expected. Those are sensible decisions by New Zealand households. It means that the economy is flatter in the short term, but in the longer term it is a stronger platform for better economic performance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220fc05f1c-47b0-4fb0-8298-2f347adae4e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223dd7d05caf4e4369917d357c302ae0aa\u0022\u003EHon Sir Roger Douglas\u003C/span\u003E: With real gross national disposable income per person effectively the same today as it was 6 years ago, when will he move to ensure that the drivers of economic growth are given a higher priority in the Government policy settings than they are receiving?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e71521f082ea4d25abe108900079c211\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The member is right to point out that the combination of bad policy from the previous Government, an early start to the New Zealand recession, and then the global financial crisis means that incomes are only now getting back to where they were 4 to 6 years ago. From the Government\u2019s point of view, attaining economic growth is our top priority, as it will help us deal with issues like the Christchurch recovery, but we are going about it in a reasonably considered and moderate way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284d40c98729145139f43c60a714188ac\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: In light of today\u2019s flat GDP figures, what exactly is his plan to create jobs, to lift incomes, and to give New Zealanders just a glimmer of hope for a better future?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f3b03ac648394696a534f4196080ae23\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: It could take some time to outline every detail of that plan, but the member will be familiar with some aspects of it, such as our extensive investment in infrastructure, making the public sector more efficient, the significant tax changes that were announced last year, and a focus on education standards and skills, as well as strong support for the business community through research and innovation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220fc05f1c-47b0-4fb0-8298-2f347adae4e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223bc7a536f0814cb1a90d9b606da316f4\u0022\u003EHon Sir Roger Douglas\u003C/span\u003E: With economic progress and growth so dependent on private ownership, competitive markets, efficient capital markets, and low taxes, when will these policy aspects be given more prominence by the Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286d3f87a1b4546ee883f0eeda11a8e8d\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: We believe they are given prominence by the Government. The member and his party believe that the Government should be much more aggressive about those aspects. That is just one of the differences between National and ACT, but it does not stop us from working constructively with the member\u2019s party to move ahead in that direction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224b3ab5ac9f8f4b75bbef6e22350e2058\u0022\u003EEarthquake, Christchurch\u2014Effect of Response on New Zealand Credit Rating\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022 data-id=\u00221bd744c585024927a11aac2125a175bd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221bd744c585024927a11aac2125a175bd\u0022\u003EDr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader\u2014Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: Which response to the Christchurch earthquake carries a greater risk of a credit downgrade: increased Government borrowing or a temporary earthquake levy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u0022c7a1ad7c77e84ae6a3fb957751efc466\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c7a1ad7c77e84ae6a3fb957751efc466\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E The Government does not really have any choice about increased Government borrowing in respect of Christchurch. The Government has had to start borrowing more money almost immediately to pay for earthquake costs such as the $150 million welfare spend that is going on at the moment, just to put cash in people\u2019s pockets. The real issue is how the Government intends to deal with that increased debt. If we were not borrowing, we would not be able to meet all of those immediate demands, but the Government will outline in the Budget how it intends to deal with that increased level of debt.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c47db65f5fce4d1d9300b711825ba410\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It was a primary question, and it was specifically about the risk of a credit downgrade. I do not believe the Minister addressed that part of the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002277eacec3218b4cb79b81099828154722\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think the member raises a fair point. The question was on notice, and it asked which would be the greater risk. I realise it is hypothetical to some extent, but I think the Minister should address that issue as it is a primary question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c9fc1267ba71432896ae1c3af84d9561\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: Well, in our view, we believe that a levy could be just as much of a risk to our credit rating as increased borrowing, because on the one hand it would demonstrate that the Government was not willing to deal with its own spending quality, and on the other hand a levy could make it more difficult for economic growth to pick up. In the long run, economic growth will help to cut debt and rebuild Christchurch.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002239203e916fb84249bae08fda27881f12\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Is the real issue with regard to a credit downgrade not the level of Government debt, and if a levy were struck to raise around, say, a billion dollars a year, would that not have a significant impact on reducing the amount that the Government needed to borrow, and hence reduce the risk of a credit downgrade?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e458c61ab5dc42f3a6ad6637e7fe801f\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: Regardless of whether we had the earthquake, that is the argument for increasing taxes when the Government owes money. We have argued that it is in our long-run best interests to have relatively low tax rates on incomes, savings, investment, and exports, because that will help the economy to grow. There is an argument that we could put those tax rates up right now to reduce debt, but we believe that that would be detrimental in the long run.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c33f90412e64412f94dc69dd07aeea36\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: With regard to the short run and the specific circumstances in which we find ourselves, a temporary earthquake levy at, say, 1.5 percent or 3 percent on incomes above $70,000 a year, rather than being a long-term increase in taxation, would just be a short-term effect to deal with the costs we have now, so it is not about the long-term argument; does he still believe we should not go down that path?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227cd0d6880c347a4ba80d12317c7576f\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I still do. In respect of the levy, our calculations indicate that a levy of the size that the member refers to would probably have to last for about 8 to 10 years to meet, say, a $6 billion cost. We do not regard that as being short term. It does look as though it is fairly long term.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f90bb82bf8be4e3190abe91c4b31016f\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the advice from Treasury and others that a downgrade would cost an ordinary mortgagee\u2014someone with a mortgage on a house\u2014in the order of a 1 percent increase in interest rates, and that that would be a much greater increase in payments for that household than a temporary earthquake levy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f69ed4b0379543ad945b56f11e643825\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I have not seen Treasury advice as specific as that, but there is no doubt that a credit downgrade would generally lead to somewhat higher interest rates. New Zealand faces that risk not just because of Government debt. In fact, the credit rating agencies would say it is the large private debt, alongside the Government debt, that gives them some concern about New Zealand. We are very conscious of the risks of a downgrade and believe that we are making the right considered choices to deal with those risks. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225e3cbc00f5974ca0816379a7ec78f217\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree that a 1 percent increase in interest rates on a person holding a $300,000 mortgage could result in that family paying an extra $60 a week in interest payments, which would be significantly more than the kind of levy we are talking about, so, in fact, people would be better off by paying a temporary earthquake levy than facing higher interest rates?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002257a85add79e34ecea459335593e59bda\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s calculations may well be right, but I think that in the long run the issue for New Zealand is the amount of debt it owes to foreign lenders. At the moment what is driving up that debt is the growth in Government debt. Most of the advice I have seen has indicated that the best thing the Government can do to deal with that rise in debt is to reduce, where it can, its expenditure in a permanent way, rather than relying on a temporary levy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002214e9f61eca9d471497eefaee150348ef\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister saying the Government\u2019s response of spending cuts and increased debt effectively means that it will be a smaller group of New Zealanders who will bear the cost of the quake rebuild\u2014those who will have their benefits cut through Working for Families or something else, and the large bulk of New Zealanders who will face higher interest payments on their home mortgages\u2014rather than having a temporary earthquake levy, which could avoid both of those things?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256f64b3fdc9d4ccb94ac22625344fda3\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: As I think I have indicated to the member, a short-term levy that was large enough to raise enough money to meet the $6 billion or $7 billion cost would need to be either applied to a much wider range of income earners or applied at a higher rate than he says if we were to meet those costs in the short term. The method that the Government is pursuing will allow us to spread the costs of the Canterbury earthquake over more people over a longer period of time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a2552ccfad6a4cffa5ad97add3eb3bde\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: If the fundamental choice is between our paying higher interest payments\u2014which will go to overseas-owned banks, so we would be sending money overseas to pay higher mortgage payments\u2014and our paying a temporary earthquake levy to pay for the earthquake, is the latter not a much more sensible approach than simply enriching our overseas lenders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234e0af9335d84c6ba2d324b3fe0c9bf9\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: If those were the trade-offs, then the member might have an argument, but that is not quite how we see it. We believe that we need to have the tax settings and the spending settings that will help to lift the performance of the economy. Increasing taxes probably will not help that, and continuing with ineffective Government spending is not likely to help that. We have been trying to get the tax rates moderate and lower, and to focus Government spending on areas where it can be effective. If we can achieve both of those things, we can get a growing economy and deal with the debt that comes from the Christchurch earthquake.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022089ffce507284d129a99808ce6490f69\u0022\u003EAuckland Governance\u2014Minister\u2019s Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022bd83bdaf30b146c2b27a6341f52d759f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bd83bdaf30b146c2b27a6341f52d759f\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Local Government: When he said \u201CAuckland\u2019s fragmented governance has meant a lack [of] leadership and vision, but soon its leaders will be able to think regionally, plan strategically and act decisively\u201D, did he mean only if they agree with the Government\u2019s plan for Auckland?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u002273af763a87be4f3fb30bc7ef642c7315\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002273af763a87be4f3fb30bc7ef642c7315\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Associate Minister of Local Government)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Local Government: No.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229cfab28122e54c1c96d24ebe9b8a7c09\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that \u201CAucklanders who go to London in my experience get on the Tube. That\u2019s because it\u2019s there, it\u2019s efficient, and it\u2019s cost effective.\u201D; if so, why is the Government not supporting the Auckland Council\u2019s plan for a central city rail link?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f4dff07adfa24ac09cf52ccfeb17169f\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: The Government is aware of the fact that a number of options are on the table. They have been put forward by the mayor and the Auckland Council. We are looking forward to working constructively with the Auckland Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a61c05fff5bd4c859c126554405a5ee7\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: In that case, why did he sign out as Minister of Local Government a Cabinet paper that pours cold water on the Auckland Council\u2019s plans for a world-class transport system, when the Government passed legislation last year that requires the Mayor of Auckland to develop a vision for Auckland?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022317e0384d5ab4d7facebdc45a96e5cb0\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: I say again that the Government is aware of the vision the Mayor of Auckland and the Auckland Council have, and it is looking forward to working constructively with them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f10e249bec534d40b275b557a6fe0966\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Why, when he has said countless times that his reforms will allow Auckland to speak with one voice, does he refuse to listen to what Auckland is saying, with the new council saying that the \u201CHoliday Highway\u201D is not a priority but the central city rail link is?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229b2407a21ab440eb4fb4271f40db58e\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: That is just one of the options that are on the table. We are looking forward to working constructively with the Auckland Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ef536fd2f474f7c9f5c0765d0ea108e\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Does he disagree with Rod Oram that the Government\u2019s view \u201Cis that we should just ooze out over the landscape in very low density ways and therefore the only answer\u2019s roads\u201D, simply to please his property developer and road building mates, or is there another reason?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc567ea9c97045afb2cfbff8afa213ac\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: I actually have not read the comments from Mr Oram, but I suspect that, like a lot of options, that may not be one that we pursue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220f3ab8b06b2748cab50e555262aaa36f\u0022\u003ESchools\u2014Accelerating Learning in Mathematics Pilot Study\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022 data-id=\u0022a4fb858a7ff140d4bc396cbe2fcd6222\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a4fb858a7ff140d4bc396cbe2fcd6222\u0022\u003EJO GOODHEW (National\u2014Rangitata)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Education: What were the results of the Accelerating Learning in Mathematics Pilot Study?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u002201c4e10bea614549b8f77d4b174bfae7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002201c4e10bea614549b8f77d4b174bfae7\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E I am pleased to say that the pilot programme to accelerate maths learning has seen significant improvements for struggling students in a short space of time. Overall, students achieved 80 percent of 1 year\u2019s learning in maths after just 10 weeks of intensive teaching, with some children making over 1 year\u2019s improvement in 10 weeks. National standards are helping to identify the students who need extra help, and programmes such as this will then be used to support and improve their learning as part of this Government\u2019s ongoing commitment to literacy and numeracy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b03bdd345e834d4fbd95ab1c66d0dfe2\u0022\u003EJo Goodhew\u003C/span\u003E: What are the next steps for the pilot?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002276b4ca7ec56143e2a2184dfd60a753a6\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E: We will use the findings from this study as we roll the programme out to a larger number of schools to see whether it will be as successful on a larger scale. That is why we will be extending the programme into 180 schools this year. It will be continually improved, of course, as the project continues. In this next phase there will be a particular focus on supporting M\u0101ori students, because the previous pilot showed that they had not learnt at the same rate as some of the other students.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229e2e1108c38e42b8b020cba72d0da2bf\u0022\u003EBiosecurity\u2014Border Controls\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u00223212450dba5c483a88ec2ccf78bd8156\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223212450dba5c483a88ec2ccf78bd8156\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Biosecurity: Does he agree with the statements made by John Lancashire and Stew Wadey, President of Waikato Federated Farmers, in the Dominion Post yesterday that New Zealand is exposed to greater risk of incursions or exotic pests at our borders as a result of the \u201Cfast-tracking of tourists\u201D, the \u201Cattempts to abolish import restrictions\u201D, and his axing of 60 front-line border staff?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u00222a41bc89657944acbb6979963ca13a80\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222a41bc89657944acbb6979963ca13a80\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister for Biosecurity: No, because all three claims are wrong. For example, the Government\u2019s SmartGate initiative enables travellers to move more quickly through our airports but improves biosecurity by freeing up staff to focus on high-risk passengers. Equally, the Government\u2019s new initiative to transfer X-ray images electronically from the port of departure, rather than X-raying those same bags again on arrival, improves efficiency but does not in any way compromise biosecurity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002271910fb40bd047b1ae796505c6bbfe0f\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: How can the Minister assure New Zealanders that the new visitor fast-tracking process will not expose New Zealanders to \u201Cincredible risks\u201D in terms of pest incursions, as stated by Mr Wadey in his article yesterday?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227467a545a1a2460187ea4f99298b79d7\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: New Zealand\u2019s biosecurity systems are world class, but that should not get in the way of using smart technology to try to support New Zealand\u2019s very important visitor industry. With New Zealand hosting the Rugby World Cup, using smart technology\u2014such as the likes of SmartGate, or alternatively the transfer of X-ray data that has been taken at the airport of departure\u2014is a really good way for us to have a more efficient transfer of passengers through the airport while providing for New Zealand\u2019s very important biosecurity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e4aac17682a4fcbbdd0fdb7c779a2e1\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: Is he willing to redraft the Government-industry agreement in the Biosecurity Law Reform Bill, which is before the Primary Production Committee, given the strong opposition from submitters, including the submission today from the Meat Industry Association, which stated that \u201Cindustry will be required to write a blank cheque before any action will be taken\u201D on incursions; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e04922e642a84683a030031f39caf67f\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s claims are incorrect. The approach that the Government has with the industry agreement framework was actually proposed by the previous Government. In fact, I have the Cabinet minute of 14 July 2008 in which the exact policy that the member is now objecting to was agreed to when he was in Cabinet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227158f9cb6cb545beac3919696b133122\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: Why does the Minister think producers are still convinced that the axing of 60 front-line biosecurity staff in 2009 has contributed to the recent increase in incursions, as stated by John Lancashire in his article yesterday?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d21905a6c204a8a9993269839914f95\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Firstly, the number of 60 is incorrect; the correct number is 19. I also clarify that the number of import staff in biosecurity increases and decreases with the amount of imports. A lot fewer imported cars are coming into New Zealand and biosecurity staff numbers have gone down accordingly. That is a natural consequence of this Government\u2019s policies for rebalancing the New Zealand economy. Unlike the importing that occurred under the previous Government, which was hugely unaffordable, New Zealanders are now taking a more cautious approach and importing less.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022383e06c3e5a64b3f9819d1225cd4ef20\u0022\u003EElectricity\u2014Generation from Renewable Resources\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u00221b52ef71459e4920a96f9318ee972b74\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221b52ef71459e4920a96f9318ee972b74\u0022\u003EMICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources: What reports has she received on levels of renewable electricity generation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022 data-id=\u002221d518abfa054b00a9a5e60f9dd10f16\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002221d518abfa054b00a9a5e60f9dd10f16\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA (Acting Minister of Energy and Resources):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. The New Zealand Energy Quarterly released by the Ministry of Economic Development last week showed that the annual renewable electricity generation for 2010 was 74 percent of all electricity generated\u2014the highest level since 1998.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002222d4aab1c47e4e7d8390552f14880a0f\u0022\u003EMichael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: What benefits will the levels of renewable electricity generation have for the environment?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228e5d19c6df3a4eca97b9429a798734f9\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: There are a number of benefits from raised levels of renewable electricity generation, including a reduction in reliance on thermal electricity generation sources and a reduction in electricity generation emissions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d22baa23012949aa8a27b7aa8c06d3a3\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister stand by her answers to written questions No. 1187 and No. 1095 this year, which show that fully four-fifths of all renewable energy consented to by November 2010 was consented to under the last Labour Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229279e41a69ed400ca6b033db3c053d6f\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f92481a7342b4023b4ae3986432472df\u0022\u003ETe Ururoa Flavell\u003C/span\u003E: Kia ora t\u0101tou. What assurances can the Minister give to Te Uri o Hau that their w\u0101hi tapu will be protected from any consequences of the tidal power generation project in Kaipara Harbour?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224f5bc41255294249b2b3262d4f555b06\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: I am advised that the Environment Court considered these matters thoroughly during a robust 4-year consent process, and the matters are addressed by the conditions of the resource consents awarded to Crest Energy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f2cad13bb2494d298b0249b993026f69\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: Did her answer to the primary question take into account the 100-megawatt gas-fired plant that is about to be developed in Taranaki, whose owners have openly agreed that it would never have occurred if her Government had not repealed Labour\u2019s renewable preference legislation in December 2008?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a56cbdb8d92492da1742af8b97f91ad\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: No.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227e0e1183e58b4bb7b74007bf8972d919\u0022\u003EEarthquake, Christchurch\u2014Funding of Accident Compensation Claims\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022a65c38f7a8734d9f99d54ca41a5c9152\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a65c38f7a8734d9f99d54ca41a5c9152\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS (Labour\u2014Rimutaka)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for ACC: Does he stand by his answer to question 4 on Thursday last week \u201Cthat funding will be taken from either the earners account or the work account\u201D and \u201Cthat a higher proportion of claims than the overall average for ACC are actually in the work account\u201D; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u002243064a2e4ee744788ef99e1eb40060c3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002243064a2e4ee744788ef99e1eb40060c3\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for ACC):\u003C/span\u003E Yes. The Government moved quickly to assist people who had been seriously injured in the Christchurch earthquake, by extending accident compensation coverage to the first week following the earthquake. The cost of that will be met from the work and the earners accounts, but there may also be some exceptional circumstances where it will be funded from the motor vehicle account. I also stand by my answer that a higher proportion of income compensation claims will fall to the work account. Those claims usually make up about 20 percent of claims, but in the case of the Christchurch earthquake they make up about 40 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261b4a585a63c4c37bf82f072659ce770\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Has the Government made an in-principle decision to allow private insurers to provide cover under the work account, rather than continue with the universal coverage that the accident compensation scheme currently provides; if so, will a future Government be able to direct those private insurers to pay above scheme entitlements in the event of an unforeseen event or natural disaster?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b9bdf20d72934c83b6a937ee1f3ad3a4\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The Government remains absolutely committed to a universal, 24/7, no-fault scheme that will ensure, just as per the tragedy of the Christchurch earthquake, that people will be covered. Because the entitlements are determined by legislation, exactly the same mechanism could be used for providers other than ACC. I am surprised that the member opposite would want to try to make politics out of the tragedy of the Christchurch earthquake. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6a6669688844588a074628d3e36be91\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Will he guarantee New Zealanders that if the ACC work account is privatised, the level of cover in the event of a natural disaster will be no less than it has been for the victims of the Canterbury earthquake; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002290d617d2b7e64476a0b39372f5e1f47f\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely, because the entitlements for those who are injured in an accident are, and will be, provided for in legislation. I also say to the member that he is incorrect with his rhetoric of privatisation. The Government has made plain that it has made a decision in principle to allow insurers to provide the option and choice of providing support alongside ACC.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0cfafb499514a74ad9882946349e58d\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Can he reassure New Zealanders that should an influx of accident compensation claims due to an unforeseen event such as an earthquake cause a private insurance provider providing cover under the accident compensation scheme to go broke, New Zealanders covered by that insurer will not be left high and dry; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a540c0e5d73144cfb816a938cdfe3546\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: It is equally true under ACC. In fact, when I first became Minister for ACC it had made losses of $2.4 billion in 2007-08, and $4.8 billion in 2008-09. This Government has borne the very difficult job of trying to secure the future of ACC by providing a far more robust system of managing ACC\u2019s finances. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228ad5c496a1d34cb98d8074001e3bdbc3\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f280bf7d1f74b2c97e288d0a138a20a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think I can anticipate the point of order. Although the Minister\u2019s answer was interesting, it was not an answer to the question he was asked. I ask the Minister to ask the question he was asked.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef9df3aa67e04cc7aacd95afc01c27ed\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The Government will be issuing a discussion document. The event of a potential insurer going broke is one of the detailed issues that, rightly, should have to be worked through. The member should wait for that discussion paper, which will address those issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221639985c4fbe40fc927d39f9c9768532\u0022\u003EQuestions to Members\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e1d2a49bfc7743e3aea566e527a28295\u0022\u003EPoint of Order\u2014Questions to Members Ruled Out of Order\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u002267f033989c02459394646da4d69f02c6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002267f033989c02459394646da4d69f02c6\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would like to draw to your attention a question to the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee from Gareth Hughes on 27 April 2010 and a question to the chair of the Law and Order\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f863e19c063e402dad81c9f030140df8\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I fail to see what that has got to do with order in the House right now. I simply said the House is coming to questions to members, and the member is talking about questions from a previous time. I fail to see how that has anything to do with order right now. It may become relevant, but I do not see it being relevant right now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u0022acc940e7520a427bbd03f3aceab04c85\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022acc940e7520a427bbd03f3aceab04c85\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The reason my point of order is relevant is that, as you are aware, early this morning my office submitted questions for oral answer, and some of those questions were declined. The questions we submitted that were declined were based on questions that had been previously submitted by Gareth Hughes on 27 April 2010 and by Hon Clayton Cosgrove on 17 February 2010, which had been accepted. I am asking for a ruling from you, Mr Speaker. If it was good enough to accept the questions from Gareth Hughes and Hon Clayton Cosgrove, why was it not good enough to accept the questions submitted by my office, which were based on the precedent established by those two questions? Why were those questions declined?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u0022b3c406f333394153b0356ad5aeb5d25d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b3c406f333394153b0356ad5aeb5d25d\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s point of order is indeed reasonable. The House may or may not be aware that members of the ACT Party today lodged some 700 questions to members. Standing Order 370 sets no limit for questions to members. However, members in lodging so many questions run the risk of limits being placed on the number of such questions and, in so doing, adversely affecting other members with genuine issues they want to pursue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003EThe questions have been scrutinised by the Clerk\u2019s Office. Questions to a chairperson must relate to a matter before the committee and a process or procedure for which the chairperson has responsibility. The responsibilities of chairpersons relate to limited areas of process and procedure. They are limited. First, in the absence of a committee making a decision about its next meeting, the chairperson may set the date for that meeting, but the chairperson does not control the agenda. This is a matter for members of the committee. I refer to Standing Order 186(2). Second, the chairperson may, on behalf of the committee, request any person to attend and give evidence, and request papers and records be produced. I refer to Standing Order 291. Third, the chairperson may direct the examination of witnesses and question witnesses. I refer to Standing Order 220. Fourth, the chairperson with the agreement of the committee may make a public statement to inform the public of the nature of a committee\u2019s consideration of a matter. I refer to Standing Order 238(1). Finally, the chairperson signs the committee reports and presents them. I refer to Standing Order 243.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003EThese are the extent of the chairperson\u2019s powers and set the limits for questions to chairpersons. Questions that ask about committee decisions are not in order. Questions asking what the committee is currently considering, for example, or when it will consider a matter are not in order. The chairperson is no more responsible for such a decision than any other member of the committee is. Furthermore, such decisions are more than likely to be confidential to the committee. Similarly, the chairperson is no more responsible for progress on an item of business than any other member of the committee is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003EThe fact that such questions may have been allowed in the past does not make them in order now. The Speaker must rule whenever a question arises on the interpretation or application of the Standing Orders. The Speaker is guided by established Speakers\u2019 rulings. There is nothing in the rulings, though, that convinced me that the questions I ruled out today were in order. Given the number of questions to members lodged, I believe my actions were appropriate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222dc7f4e3516a4813be2107178ad44d0b\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 1 to 20 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000163\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u00229c24e8578c574b9a822833daa85bb080\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229c24e8578c574b9a822833daa85bb080\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. As the chair of the Commerce Committee is not available, I wonder whether those questions could be answered by the acting chair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002277d2f42bb9c446ff9c8e48572184602e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, I have ruled that the Standing Orders require that questions are addressed to the chair, and if the chair is not present, the questions are postponed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e03cb5ed185d44788fd09594343dc4b6\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 21 to 40 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000167\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u0022777e4d77ec9b4b128e85e7cb12d4f204\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022777e4d77ec9b4b128e85e7cb12d4f204\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would like to refer you to Speaker\u2019s ruling 150/2. You have just ruled in respect of the questions to the chair of the Commerce Committee that the questions could not be put to the deputy chair, and I accepted that ruling. However, the issue of the deputy chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee arises. Speakers\u2019 ruling 150/2 states that a question can be put to the deputy chairperson if the chairperson is overseas. In the case of the Commerce Committee, I know that Sam Lotu-Iiga is not overseas, because I saw the Government whip escorting him from the House a short time ago. However, I do not know that the chair\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259d64c2a89ad4da6bee297e549415636\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am on my feet, and the member will resume his seat. The Speakers\u2019 ruling the member is referring to actually refers to the chair being overseas. The member has got it somewhat wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u002292416472228842588c340cb943218563\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002292416472228842588c340cb943218563\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Can I have an assurance that Mr Foss is not overseas.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002241f7f94fc19d43b28eb8b665399c3d0d\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am satisfied that the member is absent from the House. I do not believe he is overseas. That is the end of the matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002230f93fe384294a3c97c55aa896b6c464\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 41 to 44 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000173\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220ee463b40163471ca4001a54860396c4\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 45 to 48 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000175\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229ee735618c574c01b8d07e7c196a7d89\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 49 to 60 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000177\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u0022db914ec9a1ff4d80b1f28cf1f4fab4c1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022db914ec9a1ff4d80b1f28cf1f4fab4c1\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The members who have been called have been on notice for the last couple of hours that these questions have been lodged. I do not think it is acceptable that members who are select committee chairs choose to absent themselves from the House this afternoon because questions are set down for them to answer. I ask you to rule that the\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002241cde193d96549b3ba5c0cca21c1e183\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Speaker is not responsible for members. They could be attending to important parliamentary business, and I am sure it is just as important as the 700 questions lodged.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222c61b96b689141daa8399979eef74e8a\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 61 to 64 to Member \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u0022cda44bb11ddd4d8ea1c4c0e141231435\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cda44bb11ddd4d8ea1c4c0e141231435\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261f73a3374fa4b8fbc12cd107f5c3b65\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am dealing with questions Nos 61 to 64 to member. Does the point of order relate to those questions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a3dab5b95cb4153b63aac754d7f8b95\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN\u003C/span\u003E: It does, to the extent that you have just made a snide remark about the questions we have raised. I think the questions should be dealt with with some decorum. I do not think the remarks you made were reasonable. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022596a844c942c4c0db7bf1b516110d54f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: A point of order is being heard. If I did not show suitable decorum I apologise to the member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u0022dac43e0cb4d04c9eb48a54b9fabb5e72\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dac43e0cb4d04c9eb48a54b9fabb5e72\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Reflecting, then, on Speaker\u2019s ruling 150/2, can we have an assurance that Katrina Shanks is not overseas. According to Speaker\u2019s ruling 150/2, if she is overseas we would be entitled to have those questions answered by the deputy chair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a9f33cb2e3634aef9666155193c88dc1\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Members are not entitled to ask questions about why members are absent from the Chamber. That is not consistent with the Standing Orders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u00221b1737ec17d6474e986625a646d17bab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221b1737ec17d6474e986625a646d17bab\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Whip\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. You have to help me. Speaker\u2019s ruling 150/2 states that it is acceptable for the question to be put down to the deputy chairperson if the chairperson is overseas. Clearly, it is relevant where the chairperson is. If the chairperson is overseas I am entitled, according to Speaker\u2019s ruling\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238361427758540308efddbbc3b8f8d00\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am on my feet. If the member were serious about his questions being asked, he would have ascertained whether a chair was overseas. That is not very difficult; he could have done it quite easily himself. If it helps solve the problem for the honourable member, though, I can check with the Government whip. Is Katrina Shanks overseas? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u002293903f19c3eb43c6b8504c95d555d5e3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002293903f19c3eb43c6b8504c95d555d5e3\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Minister of Civil Defence):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I can assure the House that none of these people who are absent are overseas.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225d059c44b158476fbe829a334a94d7d4\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 65 to 68 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000192\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f79e41b00dfb465eac598fd01f82eaf5\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 69 and 70 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000194\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022565560f1494d4371bb23041cd596514c\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 71 and 72 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000196\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222f52e806bb5c45b88d7e334b76e04473\u0022\u003EEducation (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill\u2014Purpose\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E73. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224be841e75c664f26b2b90868fed21f9a\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill: What is the purpose of the Education (Freedom of Association Amendment Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226c1d5df8-ac1d-4ce1-a778-202845cfc69f\u0022 data-id=\u0022dc7d1fda14d948d79e57a86cd7e17667\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226c1d5df8-ac1d-4ce1-a778-202845cfc69f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dc7d1fda14d948d79e57a86cd7e17667\u0022\u003EHon HEATHER ROY (Member in charge of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill):\u003C/span\u003E The purpose of the bill is to uphold students\u2019 rights to freedom of association by removing any requirement for students to join students associations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002273238f4c66b840b3af71b4ef27a3b96c\u0022\u003EHon John Boscawen\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary question, Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ee75e937298d456eb54b06053913ccf2\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I do not intend to allow a supplementary question on that. The question was answered very clearly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022dcb60e43cd564620af652c3bd41f5509\u0022\u003EEducation (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill\u2014Status\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E74. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227a91c0486d34485da4744cd1575613da\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill: What is the current status of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226c1d5df8-ac1d-4ce1-a778-202845cfc69f\u0022 data-id=\u00227fd18b8e68424ef69631722e68b574d9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226c1d5df8-ac1d-4ce1-a778-202845cfc69f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227fd18b8e68424ef69631722e68b574d9\u0022\u003EHon HEATHER ROY (Member in charge of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill):\u003C/span\u003E The bill is currently at the Committee of the whole House stage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229cf4425055a242cf9a908c17fce1ceca\u0022\u003EEducation (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill\u2014Proposed Changes\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E75. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022578b8199afe2404b99679cd4c5b5cae4\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill: Does she intend to propose any changes to the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill as reported back from select committee; if so, what?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226c1d5df8-ac1d-4ce1-a778-202845cfc69f\u0022 data-id=\u0022c91b5c101e144683acd08621e453fae9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226c1d5df8-ac1d-4ce1-a778-202845cfc69f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c91b5c101e144683acd08621e453fae9\u0022\u003EHon HEATHER ROY (Member in charge of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill):\u003C/span\u003E No.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d9e0f3eb9aeb4a5a834dd7838700d496\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 76 to 78 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000209\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f634f798331e4631803992b8546dde79\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 79 to 81 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000211\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00228e0078fdcdd64e9fb5d7ff09fbc1f058\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 82 to 84 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000213\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002240348a723468459c984b455734b7a92e\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 85 and 86 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000215\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002271c241ce0d4c48f098cbe5ee05c537a4\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 87 and 88 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000217\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a5b135e240c246cfbc552db30ff428bc\u0022\u003ESmoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill\u2014Purpose\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E89. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9378435824d401fbd7ba815dce06d5d\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill: What is the purpose of the Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u00227a9d7fdda1c040428587ae157940dac6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227a9d7fdda1c040428587ae157940dac6\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Member in charge of the Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill):\u003C/span\u003E The purpose of the bill is to amend the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 to ban the display of tobacco products and smoking accessories at the point of sale.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022de1d8a4028e546589bfced1a18c152b4\u0022\u003ESmoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill\u2014Status\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E90. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022af1027063dae4280aaa2e9af9b7c9618\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill: What is the current status of the Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u00229bcd4f3b95924c9c8a57626bd49a3331\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229bcd4f3b95924c9c8a57626bd49a3331\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Member in charge of the Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill):\u003C/span\u003E The bill is set down for first reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224bff785e922f46f89e8604523f07abfd\u0022\u003EPoint of Order\u2014Limit on Number of Questions to Members\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022 data-id=\u0022eadb50f3b87a4a58baa32d44264a9036\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022eadb50f3b87a4a58baa32d44264a9036\u0022\u003EHon Dr WAYNE MAPP (Minister of Defence):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. One of the points you made was that there was no limit on the number of questions that could be raised by members, and I wondered about the interpretation of that particular issue. Under the heading \u201CQuestions to Ministers and Members\u201D in the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, there are a number of Standing Orders\u2014369, 370, and going through to 379. I just wondered about Standing Order 372, which does relate to oral questions, and whether the limitation to 12 questions applies to questions to members as well as to questions to Ministers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u00225d299698a3d14f749ce83c1aa6af029e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225d299698a3d14f749ce83c1aa6af029e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am seeking advice on that issue. [Interruption] The Speaker is considering a point of order. The Standing Order referred to is No. 372, which refers to the lodging of oral questions. It has always been interpreted as referring to questions to Ministers, but with the situation that has arisen today, with 700 questions to members being lodged, clearly I think the Standing Orders Committee, which is currently sitting, will be able to consider that issue. The member may in fact wish to write to the Standing Orders Committee and ask it to look specifically at that issue. It would be a way to have it looked at quite carefully.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022 data-id=\u00228d8eea152e6d45bea0c626aa60e26a5a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228d8eea152e6d45bea0c626aa60e26a5a\u0022\u003EHon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour\u2014New Lynn):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. There may be confusion on my part, but my recollection is that you ruled out of order an attempt by the honourable member Mr Boscawen to ask a supplementary question. Members on this side of the House were unclear as to the rationale for ruling supplementary questions out of order, given that it is the normal practice, provided that a supplementary question is within the scope of a question to, for example, the chairperson\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u002218df275d9bca401682de5ec683bb2d8f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002218df275d9bca401682de5ec683bb2d8f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I hear the member. The Standing Orders provide very clearly that supplementary questions are awarded at the sole discretion of the Speaker. These questions are very clear questions, and when the answers are very clear no further supplementary question seems to be relevant, as far as the Speaker is concerned. That is why I have not allowed supplementary questions today. That does not mean that I would not necessarily allow a supplementary question to a question to a member. But that is totally at the discretion of the Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022 data-id=\u002227ee4085e5104e5da38f3d4a2b24644e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002227ee4085e5104e5da38f3d4a2b24644e\u0022\u003EHon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour\u2014New Lynn):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am not questioning your ruling that that is absolutely within your discretion. Noting that you have been willing to extend the opportunity to members of the Labour Opposition to ask supplementary questions on questions to committee chairs, would it be your intention, Mr Speaker, to offer a rationale in such cases as you exercise your unfettered discretion in favour of ruling out such supplementary questions, and would it be your expectation that such a rationale would prevent an interpretation that you might be acting, perhaps, more in the interests of one party than another\u2014which, of course, would never be your intention in this House?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u00223a6883cc1ebb4cc0886fce68f09c042a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223a6883cc1ebb4cc0886fce68f09c042a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Speaker is unlikely to give rulings that constrain where the Speaker has discretion. I am sure the Speaker will always have discretion in these matters. But the member will recollect that a number of his colleagues have asked supplementary questions that I have simply ruled out, because with questions to members supplementary questions are quite difficult to bring within the Standing Orders. I try to allow them where it seems sensible to allow them. Today, on these particular questions to members, it has not seemed appropriate to me to allow supplementary questions so far. That does not means to say none will be allowed, though.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220255083e1be248c7b0f286d9c3501f00\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 91 and 92 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000232\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002213e04aef36614ce6a006615b5e7895cc\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 93 and 94 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000234\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222a3571b98c6a4ebf85915507f1db2db0\u0022\u003EDepleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill\u2014Purpose\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E95. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226103da631f0e4d69b956a886b6797915\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Depleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill: What is the purpose of the Depleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022fbf841971c534c9d8e4bcca33b7edd83\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fbf841971c534c9d8e4bcca33b7edd83\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Member in charge of the Depleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill): \u003C/span\u003EThe purpose of the Depleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill is to ban the possession, use, sale, manufacture, testing, and transit of uranium in all conventional munitions and armour within New Zealand, and by agents of the New Zealand Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a2a1ad15020409e9c11ef4942839f24\u0022\u003EHon John Boscawen\u003C/span\u003E: Is the member satisfied that the current bill accurately reflects the stated purpose; if so, why?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d13297e446a145b9a1356028ae924639\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e3900a66a8a34833860bf682fbbb1caa\u0022\u003EDepleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill\u2014Status\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E96. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222608e5a6c01745aabcb66c55b69d6484\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Depleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill: What is the current status of the Depleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022217a59e4700d4b86b87f78187d249b4e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022217a59e4700d4b86b87f78187d249b4e\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Member in charge of the Depleted Uranium (Prohibition) Bill): \u003C/span\u003EI am currently lobbying members of the House for support for this bill, and I hope to get it beyond the first reading. The bill has been introduced to the House, but it is currently languishing on the Order Paper, awaiting the progress of a rather foolish bill put forward by that member\u2019s party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022fb00d82482594634afe08e8633da9751\u0022\u003EQuestions Nos 97 and 98 to Member\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000244\u0022\u003EQuestions postponed.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022361a5d6c36c446e3a0e09479629a56cd\u0022\u003EPoints of Order\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c6bd175ce8b94d9cadd9c5e2c1e6b1e6\u0022\u003EAbsence of Members\u2014Effect on Voting\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022 data-id=\u0022b69076ad9c814a5ba02758b767638976\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b69076ad9c814a5ba02758b767638976\u0022\u003EHon STEVE CHADWICK (Junior Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We have reached an interesting position here. I seek your assurance, given that so many members are absent from the House today, that the whips will be truly reflecting numbers when they vote on two significant bills later this afternoon.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299068ab6a2bb435394aef6eaa4044cd7\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member knows that it is the responsibility of all parties to make sure the numbers they are voting in the House are correct. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00225f6b9f9ee37349e489b586230a649974\u0022\u003EUrgent Debates Declined\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022fa653e1aba6f4d3d87e4a8c1de7b271a\u0022\u003EFamily Start\u2014Future Funding\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u0022f43dd9b4c2ad40f1818c5480039d582b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f43dd9b4c2ad40f1818c5480039d582b\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have received a letter from the Hon Sir Roger Douglas seeking to debate under Standing Order 380 future funding to the Ministry of Social Development Family Start programme. This is a particular case of recent occurrence that involves ministerial responsibility. However, not every ministerial announcement will give sufficient grounds for an urgent debate. The big hurdle to get over in applications for urgent debates is whether the matter has reached the stage where the business of the House ought to be set aside. A new programme, standards, and guidelines are to be introduced over 2 years. In these circumstances, I do not believe that setting aside the House\u2019s business for an urgent debate today can be justified. The application is, therefore, declined. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c5479557e7ed4cdd99f1def69c440a67\u0022\u003EMarine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ac359c4ea16840a196d8cef0d745a2f5\u0022\u003EThird Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022 data-id=\u0022d20c886a4f784e0c8491690684515039\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d20c886a4f784e0c8491690684515039\u0022\u003EHon TARIANA TURIA (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Attorney-General: I move, That the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill be now read a third time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa ng\u0101 iwi o te motu kua tae mai nei ki te w\u2019akanui i t\u0113nei kaupapa o te r\u0101. Ki a koe te matua, ka nui te mihi aroha ki a koe hoki. Ki a t\u0101tou katoa, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003E[To all of you, the tribes of the nation who came here to celebrate this matter of the day, greetings. A huge and respectful tribute to you, as well, sir, to us, to you collectively, and everyone.] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EFrom the opening sections of this bill, an agenda for change is set. The connection between Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the principle that customary rights attach to w\u2019\u0101nau, hap\u016B, and iwi with traditional interests in the coastal marine area is at the heart of this legislation. There was more at stake in this bill than simply repealing the 2004 Act, notwithstanding how fundamental that is. It is about honouring the Treaty in principle and in practice. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EEarlier this week as the people gathered with their banners flying, their tears flowing, and their flags held high I reflected on our journey to achieve meaningful representation as representing the Treaty partner. I want to say that there is very little difference between what we say as members of the M\u0101ori Party and what those on the h\u012Bkoi say when it comes to the crucial issue of the foreshore and seabed, Treaty relationships, and Treaty issues. The difference is not about the \u201Cwhat\u201D; the difference is about the \u201Chow\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EThere are those who are unable to accept the legitimacy of Parliament and it is their right to do so. But the path for the M\u0101ori Party is a different one. We have chosen the vehicle of Parliament to advance our aspirations in a modern context. We have chosen to participate in k\u0101wanatanga and to uphold the mana of our t\u016Bpuna. We can do both. We came here to tackle issues head on, to fight on every front, and to prepare a place for others to come forward and to continue the work, knowing full well that if we do not put forward the best case we can\u2014who will? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EAlthough other political parties claim to represent M\u0101ori they do so in the belief that tangata w\u2019enua can be treated as a homogenous group even though there are so many tribal differences and demographic variations that must be appreciated. What is worse is that one party seeks to wilfully denigrate tangata w\u2019enua and their values, and we deplore that behaviour. That party is the same party that deliberately lodged 700 questions today in an attempt to roadblock the passage of this bill while cheerfully abusing the expectation of citizens that all parties will be frugal with the taxpayer dollar. New Zealanders do not expect the critical business of the State to be delayed for questions that amount to little more than wasting Parliament\u2019s time and taxpayers\u2019 money. The people deserve better. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Party came to Parliament because we want the very best for our people. We want their aspirations heard. We want tangata w\u2019enua to be a strong voice and to be leading the future of Aotearoa. It is a mission that I know others have carried before us. Nevertheless, it is the most critical reason for our existence as a political movement. It is, after all, about our struggle for survival; the reconciliation of k\u0101wanatanga with rangatiratanga; and the long-term plan 100 years from now, and onwards. I have only to walk the corridors alongside Matangireia to glance into the faces of our t\u016Bpuna and to recall the political actions that each took to advance the calling of their w\u2019anau, hap\u016B, and iwi. Their spirits are around us all in this Chamber and in this debate, and we are all the richer for their legacy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EOne of the saddest aspects of this time has been the way in which some have chosen to use this legislation as a tool to create division both within Parliament and, indeed, within our own party. To act in such a way is anathema to me, and it operates against all of our kaupapa. I have always been someone who has sought to foster unity and to celebrate diversity rather than to promote divisiveness. As members of w\u2019anau, hap\u016B, and iwi we are already divided along so many lines: by religion, politics, income, and education. Those who have are separated from those who have not. What I genuinely hoped was that we could look, as a nation, at this issue with new eyes, understand the differences, and work together to make change, as small as they may be. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EI want to share with us all a message from my son that epitomises the journey we in the M\u0101ori Party have taken up. He shared with me the words of the late Dr Martin Luther King: \u201CCowardice asks the question, \u2018Is it safe?\u2019 Expediency asks the question, \u2018Is it politic?\u2019 And Vanity comes along and asks the question, \u2018Is it popular?\u2019 But Conscience asks the question, \u2018Is it right?\u2019 And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but he must do it because Conscience tells him that it is right.\u201D The M\u0101ori Party supports this bill, knowing that it is right to want a better future for our mokopuna; that it is right to repeal law that is unjust and discriminatory; and that it is right to restore the access that tangata w\u2019enua were always entitled to\u2014to have their day in court. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EOur greatest task ahead of us as a political movement is to make the advances for our people based on our kaupapa. We must move forward, and to do so we must have meaningful recognition of tangata w\u2019enua political representation. We have come to Parliament to make change happen, and to work with the Government, whomever the Government is. We have chosen not to participate in the politics of attack but to invest in the politics of possibilities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EWhen we were offered the opportunity of being in Government we returned to our people and we were given the mandate, right across the motu, to take up the wero and do all we could to make progress. A very clear call came from our membership to repeal the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act and to restore access to the courts. We have done that. We have honoured our word\u2014we have removed the Foreshore and Seabed Act from the statue book of this House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EThe challenge now is to test this new law. The message we have been getting from some iwi leaders is that now that the right of access to the courts has been restored, case law and customary rights may be politically achievable. W\u2019anau, hap\u016B, and iwi must grasp the opportunity on a case by case basis to go to the courts and begin to establish customary rights and title in our legal system on a progressive basis. But we are fooling no one if we think we have solved everything by restoring access to the courts and repealing the 2004 Act, no matter how significant this is. Our journey is a lifelong one, as it has been for our t\u016Bpuna before us and will be for our mokopuna ahead of us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EThis bill is another step in our collective pursuit of Treaty justice. We have absolutely no doubt that there will come a day when this bill, like every single piece of legislation debated in this House, is reviewed and improvements are made, and we will move on together. This bill was never just about the M\u0101ori Party; it started with the leadership of the eight iwi who took an application to the M\u0101ori Land Court at the top of the South Island. It has been shaped by innovative jurisprudence created by some of our finest legal minds. It has been critiqued by many, many thousands of New Zealanders who have joined the h\u012Bkoi; written petitions, submissions, and emails; and composed haka and waiata. They have walked the talk. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Party has directly benefited from the expertise and wisdom of many people, including all of our devoted supporters who are with us today, as they have been ever since the very first hui of the M\u0101ori Party on 23 May 2004. We mihi to them all. We are indebted to the generosity of spirit, the selfless commitment, and the bold and courageous vision of iwi leaders who have walked with us on this journey to a brighter future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2dfe169-d946-4f87-8d43-0bcdb7d8bebc\u0022\u003EFinally, we pay our utmost respect to the champion of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill, the Attorney-General, Chris Finlayson. From the onset he has demonstrated remarkable resilience, insight, and personal integrity to do what is right. I will never forget the depths to which he has gone in order to treat this take with the respect it deserves. N\u0101 reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203bc0052-6dd8-4807-998a-4768a4732e0b\u0022 data-id=\u0022eb56f3941dd445cf8f7924b38546c0fc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203bc0052-6dd8-4807-998a-4768a4732e0b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022eb56f3941dd445cf8f7924b38546c0fc\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker)\u003C/span\u003E: If the member of the public does not stop talking, I will ask for him to be removed. Permission has been given for a waiata at the end, which is perfectly acceptable. This is a debating chamber for members.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022 data-id=\u00220861eed20a4a45c8aafd559714ff5d84\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220861eed20a4a45c8aafd559714ff5d84\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E This is the day the cup of sanctimony runs over. We have just been served up a speech riddled with sanctimony and selective memory, and held up by the politics of betrayal. We have heard from the co-leader of the M\u0101ori Party Tariana Turia that the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill\u2014the very reason for the M\u0101ori Party\u2019s being\u2014has actually been fulfilled. This is the day the M\u0101ori Party has delivered a bill that suits the purposes not of M\u0101ori but of corporate New Zealand, with mainstream, bigoted approaches, and it weakens every hap\u016B and every tangata whenua. The only people who will gorge at this cup of sanctimony with Tariana Turia are those from the legal profession. A very deep and, unfortunately, expensive road leads to the courts. It will yield precious little results. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EThis bill is designed to fossilise M\u0101ori rights in the seabed and foreshore. It is not evolutionary. It is not dynamic. It insists that M\u0101ori rights have to be viewed through the prism of 1840. This bill is designed to leave M\u0101ori political aspirations in a legal crypt. That speaker has not advanced the cause of M\u0101ori in the seabed and foreshore; the bill has advanced the cause of what she sees as the right of the M\u0101ori Party to uplift and sustain the National Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EThis bill, firstly, represents a great deal of activity and supposed benefits for M\u0101ori Party membership. Now that Tariana Turia has delivered the consent of betrayal to her own people to suit the purposes of National, she has only one reason to remain, and that is Wh\u0101nau Ora. At a time when we are discussing the demise of the seabed and foreshore interests of M\u0101oridom, she is clinging tenaciously to the benefits and the rewards of Wh\u0101nau Ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EWe have heard the most powerful financial spokesman, Bill English, continue to mislead not only garden-variety Kiwis but also Tariana Turia. That member said she would have to review her future in politics in the event that the Wh\u0101nau Ora interests were not served. She refuses to review her suitability in the face of failing on the seabed and foreshore, pinching ideas that largely were provided by Dr Cullen, and dressing them up with a different coloured korowai. There is nothing left in the bars of the Wh\u0101nau Ora for the M\u0101ori Party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EWhat makes the M\u0101ori Party remain in power, tethered to National? Is it the perks of office? Is it the promises to its diminishing, almost non-existent membership? No. It is a mistaken and foolhardy belief that its vision will take our country forward. Its vision has pitted M\u0101ori against P\u0101keh\u0101. We have had thousands of emails from a whole range of P\u0101keh\u0101 organisations that express repugnance and disdain for this bill. Every single leader of the iwi community loathes this bill. They actually curse the day that they helped to raise money, organise hui, meet the costs of vehicles, etc., to enable the M\u0101ori Party to come into being. Every expectation they loaded on the backs of the M\u0101ori Party is today dashed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EThis bill provides an opportunity for a hollow husk of a right. No rights are available here. No interests will be served other than the short-term, superficial political agenda of a small, diminishing number of M\u0101ori MPs, who, thankfully, will not be here after 26 November. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EIt comes to pass that Hone Harawira, in the face of oppression and adversity, in the midst of our own people, has spoken something closer to the truth. It may be inversely related to the name Harawira, but that is another matter. In this case he has had the courage to stand by those original interests, and he has had the courage to challenge the leadership of his own party, which, as a consequence of this bill, has become blind to the aspirations and goals of the M\u0101ori community, and has become ignorant of the fears that blight the M\u0101ori community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EThis bill marks the day that the M\u0101ori Party will actually begin to meet the costs of its departure. It has no broad support. Firstly, the legal advisers are clapping their hands up and down the country. We did not want a bill that would worsen the legal costs and the impost on M\u0101oridom; we wanted a bill that took an expansive and pragmatic approach that brought all New Zealand forward so that this issue did not become as divisive as it is today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EWe took a progressive approach. Indeed, the former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Cullen offered solutions. But in offering the opportunity to work in a win-win situation we suffered repudiation from the M\u0101ori Party and ignorance from the National Party. That is why only 11 percent of the population of te iwi M\u0101ori supports this remedy. When polled, 89 percent of M\u0101ori said that this bill sucks and that it must go, like its authors. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003ESecondly, at the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee thousands of submissions were completely wiped aside and people were treated in a grossly rude manner. They were not given more than a cursory opportunity to exercise their democratic rights and have their say. We have seen a destruction of process, a betrayal of political aspiration, and a sell-out. During this process we have a seen a massive sell-out. The very issue that brought the M\u0101ori Party into being is what it has sold out on today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Party may think, as a consequence of the National Party\u2019s polling, that this level of deceit will not count in the minds of M\u0101ori voters. But without a doubt, we will drive home this point at every single hui and in every single interview. At the end of the day, very honest, sincere, and hard-working people supported that party. Every one of those people has been sold out today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EI come back to talk about the Attorney-General. It was said that the Attorney-General went to great depths. Of course, the member meant to say that he sunk to great depths. The Attorney-General is no stranger to the finer points of the English language, but he knows that the moment he seized the pen of authorship and completely sold out the M\u0101ori Party he was marching to the drum of the real supporters of this legislation. The existing rights of corporate New Zealand, the ambitions of the legal profession, and the rights of private landholders have not been interfered with. None of those rights have been eroded or weakened. The only people who will be put in possession of Clayton\u2019s rights are tangata whenua. The Attorney-General has come up a criterion that is so narrow, whose threshold is so high, and the politics of which are so divisive that he knows that no one of any substance will achieve anything approximating customary interests, or, indeed, Treaty-based justice. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003EAll the flash and hollow words were from a speech written by the Attorney-General for Tariana Turia to deliver. They forget that at every single meeting Dr Cullen organised in the time that he had the seabed and foreshore legislation she sat there and never once opened her mouth\u2014Dover Samuels has told me this. She never ever demurred. She never ever did anything other than defect. Somehow she has arrived on the back of this legislation as some form of Mother Teresa. This bill is a betrayal, and M\u0101ori people have been sold out today by none other than Tariana Turia. Kia ora t\u0101tou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u00221459b7a882544f0b80d1e133a652e63d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221459b7a882544f0b80d1e133a652e63d\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E If Labour regards Hone Harawira as someone it cannot do business with, why do Labour members sound exactly like him when speaking on the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill? What a disappointment the previous speech from Shane Jones was. He used to be regarded as a person with the capability and vision to help New Zealand deal with issues of M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 learning how to live together and work together in New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003ELabour\u2019s cup is running over with resentment and regret about how it handled the issue. From well before the Foreshore and Seabed Act and certainly since 2004, Labour has shown that it does not know how to handle aspirational M\u0101ori. It can handle M\u0101ori who, traditionally, may have done what Labour told them to do, who thought what Labour said they should think, and who kept quiet about it. But in 2004 Labour panicked over this issue and brought in legislation that was clearly resented and opposed by thousands of M\u0101ori. Labour did not solve the problem, which is what this Government set out to do. This Government set out to solve the problem\u2014the problem of different world views about property rights, different world views about our history, and different views about how that history should be expressed in 2011. It is not an easy problem to solve. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EI congratulate the M\u0101ori Party, but not on agreeing with what National wanted, because it did not. The bill is not what National wanted in every respect. It is the result of a tedious, testing, and tense process that has gone on over the last couple of years, not just within the Government\u2014and I do not mean just the tedious chairperson of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee\u2014but with the thousands of New Zealanders who take an interest in this issue; with the MPs who have sat and listened to, and wrestled with, these issues; and with the Attorney-General, who has performed in exactly the way Tariana Turia said: with deep respect, total thoroughness, and, I must say, an evenness of temperament that is not what we have always associated with him but on which he must be complimented. His temperament is in total contrast to that of the Labour member Shane Jones in his previous speech and to the way Labour members have conducted themselves throughout this discussion. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003ELabour members\u2019 conduct has shown their utter lack of suitability for any responsibility for these issues in modern New Zealand. They might feel comfortable going back to R\u0101tana every year, but the R\u0101tana deal was done with Michael Joseph Savage. He was a man of vision, but the deal was done 80 years ago. The new kind of deal is much more respectful, much more robust, and more difficult. I can say that as a member of the Cabinet who spends probably a quarter to a third of my time, even as Minister of Finance, on issues related to M\u0101ori. The new deal is more difficult, but it is real progress. That progress is what the bill represents. Other issues in New Zealand will be wrestled with as intensively as this one and are as polarising as this one, not because we choose it to be that way but because that is the way this nation is with the different peoples who live here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EI am so proud of the bill, because at least three-quarters of the Parliament have demonstrated that they are willing and able to wrestle successfully with these issues. The alternative is unresolved resentment and an ongoing sense of injustice that prevents progress and a positive view of New Zealand. Even if we do not think the bill is perfect\u2014and I do not think anyone does\u2014it is progress. It is a step forward from where we were. The bill is not a perfect answer, but I suspect that it will be a lasting answer, because, despite the brave words of Mr Shane Jones, a future Labour Government will not undo the legislation in his time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EA sign of the pettiness and internal damage within Labour is that its members had an opportunity to demonstrate some vision for New Zealand and they just spouted resentment of the M\u0101ori Party. National certainly does not always agree with the M\u0101ori Party, but the M\u0101ori Party deserves credit for taking a historic opportunity to use the democratic process to take responsibility for a solution. That approach is in marked contrast to the way a lot of these issues have been dealt with in the past. The M\u0101ori Party took responsibility for a solution. National has had to, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EMy email has been overloaded with people who say they will never vote for me again. I actually think they will. When it comes to polling, even if 89 percent of New Zealanders do not like the bill, that number is only marginally higher than the percentage of voters who do not like Labour. If I were in Labour, I would keep the polling numbers to myself. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EI acknowledge the work of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, its chairman\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fa7cca4c7d9d4d09918a167494e9f540\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: What\u2019s my name?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022417116d4a127498b83aefbac9c4e5600\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014the Hon Tau Henare\u2014and members, who, without much public recognition, did a great job of persisting through weeks and weeks of very polarised discussion in order to come up with solutions that would work. In particular, I congratulate the Attorney-General. Only someone of his intellectual breadth and determination would be able to see the bill through what would be about the most intensive process I have ever seen legislation go through in 20 years in Parliament. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EFinally, I acknowledge my Government colleagues, who consist of National members and, of course, the M\u0101ori Party, and the ACT Party, in its own unique way, who have seen the process through to a result. The result is one we should be proud of, not because the legislation is a fantastic piece of art and political creation but because the result comes from a proper, realistic, forward-looking process for dealing with very difficult issues. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EWe could have collectively allowed this issue to become as polarised as some wanted it to be. We could have let that happen, but we did not. In that respect, I pay tribute to the leadership of the Prime Minister, who cannot be here today. At all times he was able to bring to this discussion his own particular mix of equanimity, decisiveness, and generosity of spirit, which set the tone for the relationship between the M\u0101ori Party and National. Quite frankly, this country will need the same kind of process again. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003EI support the third reading of the bill. I am disappointed that on this occasion Mr Jones missed his opportunity, which was a big opportunity, to lift himself above the level of the rest of Labour. Labour has gone so low that it has dragged him down, as well. That is a disappointment, but this bill is not a disappointment; it is a success.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022 data-id=\u002265120865980041768fffedd38b93cca0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002265120865980041768fffedd38b93cca0\u0022\u003EKELVIN DAVIS (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I, along with the rest of the Labour Party, oppose the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill. If the fact that over 4,000 submitters to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee opposed this bill\u2014albeit for reasons that were polar opposites\u2014was not enough reason to oppose it, the poor process followed by the select committee certainly was. That process, firstly, blocked any legal advice from being obtained by the committee on the effect of the changes to the threshold test for establishment of customary marine title; secondly, forced through hasty consideration of the 500-page departmental report on submissions; thirdly, did not include any revision-tracked view of the bill in respect of the many amendments recommended by officials, which made proper consideration and deliberation impossible; fourthly, saw Government members block a resolution that a revision-tracked version of the bill be prepared prior to the committee\u2019s deliberation on the bill; fifthly, ignored the submissions of hundreds of people, whose submissions have had no substantive analysis by the select committee, as evidenced by the fact that the committee reported the bill back to the House without comment on most of the issues, and without a single amendment, be it technical or substantive; and sixthly, left many important technical issues unresolved. Those matters are all reason enough to oppose the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EI was embarrassed by the process that this bill went through. When I explain to schools and other groups the process used to develop legislation, I tell them that if people want to participate, then they need to make submissions on issues, ask to be heard at the select committee, and put their case forward. I say the various points of view will be heard and deliberated on, and decisions will be made. I tell them that although they may not get their way, they will be given a fair hearing. That is obviously not true of the process on this bill. During the select committee process a range of opinions were heard. Some I agreed with; many I did not. But I respected those submitters\u2019 right to be heard and to voice their opinion. I am embarrassed that I was part of a process that dismissed their points of view without due consideration, and I apologise to those people who have been misled as to the integrity of the legislative process. Democracy has been the loser. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThis bill could have settled the issue of the foreshore and seabed once and for all. New Zealand has been persuaded that the foreshore and seabed is the most important issue to M\u0101ori\u2014it is not. Attention has been diverted from the issues that really affect M\u0101ori. While the M\u0101ori Party has been focused on wet sand, our people are suffering. What has the M\u0101ori Party done, as part of this Government, about easing the cost of living? Why did it vote for the rise in GST? What has it done, as part of this Government, to create jobs for M\u0101ori? What has it done, as part of this Government, to enable our children to succeed at school? What has it done, as part of this Government, to prevent our teenagers from having babies? What has it done, as part of this Government, to reduce M\u0101ori incarceration in prisons? What has it done, as part of this Government, to support and develop M\u0101ori business and enterprise? What has it done, as part of this Government, to reduce M\u0101ori dependency on drugs and alcohol? What has it done, as part of this Government, to reduce the number of our women and children who are beaten at the hands of our menfolk? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EIf the answer to those questions is Wh\u0101nau Ora, then I ask, which of the specific issues that I have just raised will Wh\u0101nau Ora alleviate? To what extent, by when, and how will we recognise the success? And will the pending Budget cuts to Wh\u0101nau Ora condemn it to failure? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EWe can focus again on the wet sand, or we can develop policy that will support schools to see that teachers use research-based best-practice strategies, and that will support schools to establish relationships with M\u0101ori students and wh\u0101nau, and to develop M\u0101ori-relevant curriculum pedagogy. We can focus on the symbolic, or we can develop policy that will prevent M\u0101ori from developing diabetes, renal failure, and obesity, or from seeking solace in drugs and alcohol. We can focus on the symbolic, or we can develop policy that will create jobs for M\u0101ori, ease the cost of living for M\u0101ori, and help M\u0101ori to be even more successful contributors to our society. We can focus on the symbolic, or we can develop policy that will see our people living in warm, comfortable, and secure homes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EWhen I travel around Tai Tokerau I hear about, and see directly evidence of, the sense of hopelessness amongst many of our people. Too many are simply struggling to survive, and they see Parliament arguing about wet sand. I wonder why we cannot put the same amount of energy and passion into helping them\u2014the people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EWe will now have the spectre of the M\u0101ori Party relitigating this issue every 3 years post-election. But to have that opportunity, the M\u0101ori Party will be happy. Grievance is what gives it strength. The M\u0101ori Party is happy to entrench M\u0101ori with a sense of injustice, because it is always easier to criticise and condemn than to search for opportunities for growth, development, and prosperity. While the M\u0101ori Party relitigates this issue, our people still will be underachieving at school, and getting locked up, knocked up, beaten up, drunk, stoned, and killed. This is a missed opportunity, and it is time to move on and focus on the real issues that affect M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EAnyone who knows me knows that I believe the path to M\u0101ori success lies in education. I have said before that we will achieve more in one generation of fully educated M\u0101ori than we will in another 171 years of grievance. Education can and will address underachievement. Success at school will mean M\u0101ori are better equipped to seek higher-paid employment, which will assist them to meet the cost of living. Success at school will reduce M\u0101ori teenage pregnancy rates. Success at school will reduce M\u0101ori incarceration rates. Success at school will enable M\u0101ori to succeed in business and enterprise. Success at school will reduce M\u0101ori drug and alcohol dependency. Success at school will help to reduce the rates of child and spousal abuse. Through increasing the number of highly educated M\u0101ori, we will be able to achieve in the highest positions in the land. We will be able to achieve in the worlds of business, finance, and politics, and in the arts, sciences, and humanities. Through increasing the number of highly educated M\u0101ori, we will be able to gain the respect, influence, and credibility that, sadly, many of us lack now. Through increasing the number of highly educated M\u0101ori, we will regain the self-respect and dignity that many have lost. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori need to be brave enough to venture on a new path that leads us away from grievance, and on to a proactive and progressive path that enables us to achieve our dreams, goals, and aspirations\u2014both in the 21st century and into the future. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to leave them a better M\u0101ori world than the one that we inhabit now, and if we do not, we will fail our people and fail our future. A M\u0101ori world of grievance simply condemns our people to the same reality that we are living in now, and they deserve more than that from us. I stand here as a M\u0101ori member of Parliament and implore all other M\u0101ori members of Parliament to focus on that which will move us forward, and not on that which will trap our children in the same cycle of discontent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThe Labour Party opposes this bill because it focuses on the wet sand. It focuses on the symbolic issue, and it does not focus on the issues that mean the most to M\u0101ori. Those are the cost of living, and the issues of education, M\u0101ori incarceration, teenage pregnancy rates, and all the other issues that really matter to the people. We can focus all our energies for as long as we want to on the wet sand and all those other things, but at the end of the day what matters is our people, and this bill does not address the issues that are pushing and suppressing our people. That is one of the major reasons why the Labour Party does not support the bill. I look over to the other side of the House at people like Tau Henare, who are playing up for the crowds. The only reason Tau Henare is sitting there and yelling his head off is that there is an audience, and he is more interested in playing up for the crowd than he is in addressing the issues that really put our people down. So I say to Tau Henare, shame on him for sitting there and just mouthing off and not actually coming up with any\u2014any\u2014issues that will make a difference for M\u0101ori. Not only is that the case but also he was the guy who led the select committee astray\u2014a terrible process. He needs to be ashamed of his part in perpetuating this whole horrible bill that is before the House. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022 data-id=\u0022f8cae0e74cc6418693237c25340c2f3d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f8cae0e74cc6418693237c25340c2f3d\u0022\u003EMETIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E \u201CNot in our name. No raupatu in our time. No raupatu in our name.\u201D That was the call in 2004 when M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 struggled together to oppose the foreshore and seabed legislation passed by Labour. Although I am pleased Labour has changed its position on these issues, it does not have any credibility in making claims against other M\u0101ori members in this House of selling out our people. But for Labour\u2014and the M\u0101ori MPs in Labour\u2014selling out our people in 2004, we would not be here today to witness the same thing happening again. The players have changed, but the issue is the same and the injustice is the same. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EI am proud to be here on behalf of the Green Party of Aotearoa / New Zealand to join our voices with the thousands of New Zealanders\u2014M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 alike\u2014who object to this unjust, confiscatory Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill. I acknowledge the h\u012Bkoi that arrived on Parliament grounds on Tuesday. I acknowledge their dignity and their passion. Today we are witness to a terrible betrayal by the M\u0101ori Party. It is a betrayal of our tikanga. It is a betrayal of all the kuia and kaum\u0101tua who have struggled their whole lives to see justice for M\u0101ori. It is a betrayal of our young ones\u2014our rangatahi\u2014who will have to continue this fight after this day, because of the cowardice we will see played out in this House. It is all because of a M\u0101ori Party obsession with power at any cost. The M\u0101ori Party is now utterly compromised by the acquisition of power. The M\u0101ori Party contributes to the divide and rule tactics we see being played out by National this time round. National is deeply hostile to the interests of M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EWhen this legislation first came to the House in 2004\u2014then named the Foreshore and Seabed Bill\u2014we were fighting the same colonial Government that M\u0101ori had been fighting for generations. At that time I expressed my deep disappointment as a M\u0101ori member of Parliament that I was thrust back 150 years and returned to the same struggle against colonial power as that of my forebears. I said it was the same old struggle, fighting the same arguments over the confiscation of land, and objecting again to parliamentary sovereignty flexing its muscle against tangata whenua, regardless of the justice of the issue. We were fighting the same manipulation and deception, fighting the same arrogance and paternalism. By this legislation today, as then, M\u0101ori are being returned to the same indecent fight\u2014the fight just to be M\u0101ori in our own land. As with the Foreshore and Seabed Bill, the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill is a direct descendant of the racist legislation of our colonial forebears. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EBut there is one even more terrible difference between this legislation in 2011 and that in 2004. For the first time in New Zealand\u2019s political history a M\u0101ori political force has the power to stop racist legislation. For the first time ever in our political history M\u0101ori wield enough political power to say no and to stop the Government from extinguishing M\u0101ori tikanga rights. For the first time M\u0101ori are genuinely the decision makers in whether this bill, this confiscation will proceed. Today the four M\u0101ori MPs from the M\u0101ori Party are the decision makers for M\u0101ori aspirations over M\u0101ori land. We could be celebrating that fact, which is a circumstance that has arisen out of decades of struggle in the courts, struggle in education, struggle in the economy, and struggle in politics. Those four M\u0101ori MPs exercise this political power because of the hard work of many generations before them who had that struggle. In many ways, this moment is an apex of M\u0101ori parliamentary political power. It is a moment that thousands of M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 have struggled for and fought to achieve together. So why are the four M\u0101ori decision makers today exercising that power to pass racist legislation? Why are the M\u0101ori decision makers today deciding that they will allow the confiscation of M\u0101ori land? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003ELast time, in 2004, we fought a well-known enemy, a political force descended from its colonial forebears. It was a circumstance that M\u0101ori knew well and expected nothing less from. Then, M\u0101ori rallied around a new political identity, one that would fight for M\u0101ori every step of the way, which was a genuine alternative\u2014by M\u0101ori, for M\u0101ori\u2014for the first time in this Parliament. Last time we believed that if M\u0101ori had the power, then we would have a just outcome, but today we are betrayed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EThe Green Party opposes this legislation because we are committed to justice and we are prepared to stand up for that principle. We have been tireless in our advocacy for the protection of M\u0101ori customary rights. Under the bill, M\u0101ori customary rights are extinguished and the foreshore and seabed remain under the threat of exploitation, damage, and sale. The Green Party has fought for the ecology of the foreshore and seabed\u2014our precious coast, its habitats, the species that rely on its health, the wh\u0101nau who care for those places, and the children who delight in its treasures. This bill puts all of that at risk. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003ELast time my plea was to the Labour Government. \u201CJust don\u2019t do it.\u201D, I said. Today my plea is to the M\u0101ori Party\u2014to Rahui Katene, to Te Ururoa Flavell, to Pita Sharples, and to Tariana Turia. I ask them to please turn their faces to our people, to face the thousands of young M\u0101ori who are slogging their guts out just to get by. I ask those members to turn their faces to them and tell them there is a reason for them to believe in us here, and to tell them they have not been abandoned by those members. But they will not turn their faces; they will turn their backs. I say to wh\u0101nau that the Green Party has not abandoned them. Together we will seek justice and peace in our country, and together we will achieve it. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u00229bbc3fbfb0fb49f8b3d6425939841309\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229bbc3fbfb0fb49f8b3d6425939841309\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I begin this afternoon by responding to the comments of the Hon Tariana Turia on the Marine and Coastal (Takutai Moana) Bill. She said that the M\u0101ori Party was right to repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. The ACT Party agrees with her, and has always agreed with her. Tariana Turia and the M\u0101ori Party members know that we strongly opposed that Act when it was passed through this Parliament in 2004.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003ETariana Turia said that the M\u0101ori Party was right to restore access to the courts. The ACT Party agrees with her, and always has, and the members of the M\u0101ori Party know that. Tariana Turia also said that the ACT Party used the lodging of questions to members this afternoon to try to delay this bill. Tariana was right; we did do that. The reason we did that is we oppose this bill and we think this bill is wrong. We think this bill is wrong for the reasons I will summarise very shortly. However, Tariana Turia said that the ACT Party had used this legislation to denigrate tangata whenua. With respect, that is where I disagree with her, because we have not deliberately gone out of our way to do that. We have fought for the rights of all New Zealanders and M\u0101ori New Zealanders to have the right to their day in court and to have the right to access. But we have not gone out of our way to denigrate tangata whenua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003ETariana Turia said that the ACT Party had used this bill to try to create divisions. I also totally reject that. We have not used this bill to try to create division. In actual fact, we believe this bill will create division, and that is one of the reasons we so strongly oppose it. Why do I say that? A number of rights created here will be of benefit only to those who gain customary title. I will come back to the test for customary title, but I take this opportunity to say to National members who will be voting for this bill that rights are conferred on customary title holders that are over and above the rights that other freehold property owners get in New Zealand, whether they be M\u0101ori or non-M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002248b1877853aa49509a44c6c0f42e80ad\u0022\u003ETe Ururoa Flavell\u003C/span\u003E: Shocking!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022290b86f014b54ad2a7fb9b394c036c41\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the ACT Party thinks that is shocking, because we believe strongly in having one law for all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EI will give one example of that: a planning right. If iwi or hap\u016B gain customary title to an area of the common marine and coastal area\u2014and Mr Finlayson has acknowledged that could be up to 10 percent of our coast, but, who knows, as it could be a lot more than 10 percent; it could be a huge amount more and we will know only in time\u2014they have a planning right and they can decide what happens on that piece of land or marine and coastal area. That benefit is not available to any other New Zealander. I will repeat that: it is not available to any other New Zealander. No New Zealanders who own a piece of freehold land can decide what will happen on that land. No New Zealanders can go along to the local council and say what they want to have happen on that land and have the council do as the landowner says. That is one of the benefits conferred on customary title holders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EIf we look to the genesis of the situation here today, we know that the judges in the Ng\u0101ti Apa decision in 2003 said that iwi and hap\u016B should have the right to go to court to state their claim. That is a right that the ACT Party has stood for consistently throughout the entire time since. However, what was the Labour Government\u2019s response to that decision? The Labour Government\u2019s response was to pass the Foreshore and Seabed Act. It announced within a matter of hours of that Court of Appeal decision that it would substantially reduce the rights of iwi and hap\u016B to go to court. Yes, iwi and hap\u016B have the ability to go to court. There are rights there, but they were substantially lessened, and the benefits that they would derive from going to court were substantially reduced. The ACT Party opposed that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EWhat has the National Government\u2019s response been? It has been not just to repeal that Act to undo that injustice but also to impose another injustice. Why do I say that? I say that because this bill sets down a number of tests. It codifies the tests, as the Attorney-General tells us, and it does not leave the matter to the courts. There may well be some iwi and hap\u016B who feel that they have had those rights taken away from them. The Hon Bill English talked this afternoon about ongoing resentment. Well, the only way to avoid ongoing resentment and a sense of injustice is to allow iwi and hap\u016B to go to court\u2014to do what they asked to do\u2014and let the judges rule on that matter. As Tariana Turia said earlier this afternoon, there was far more at stake than simply repealing the 2004 Act.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EThe National Government has responded exactly as the previous Labour Government did. It looked to put legislation in place, and there may well be iwi and hap\u016B who are denied the right to go to court because of the tests laid down in this document. Equally, there is the real chance that customary title may be transferred over land and provide benefits to a small group of New Zealanders at the expense of all other New Zealanders. I do not necessarily mean there will be a difference between M\u0101ori and non-M\u0101ori; I mean that certain selected iwi may benefit at the expense of other iwi and other non-M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EIt always fascinates me to listen to Metiria Turei talk about the 12,500 private titles. I have always found it fascinating that of those 12,500 titles that Metiria Turei rails against, 3,000 are actually in the name of M\u0101ori. What are the benefits that go with the granting of customary titles? We have potentially billions and billions of dollars of mineral wealth. We know that off the Waikato and Taranaki coasts there are literally billions and billions of dollars worth of ironsands. Why are we concerned? It is because the National Government has been happy to tell its own MPs and the public that the test for customary title is a very, very high test. The Government has said to the public of New Zealand that to be able to prove customary title, they need to show continuous and exclusive use and occupation of an area since 1840. The Government has said to New Zealanders that that is a very high test. Well, it is a high test, but it is not actually the test. In 1840 the limits of our territorial waters were simply 3 miles. This bill enshrines in legislation the fact that it is assumed that iwi and hap\u016B have customary titles over the foreshore and seabed, out to 12 miles, not 3 miles, but 12 miles. That change to our territorial limits was legislated for only in 1977.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EWhen David Parker spoke in the Committee stage, he said that a vote for National was a vote for the M\u0101ori Party, and a vote for the M\u0101ori Party was a vote for National. I daresay that that was simply a pitch to the M\u0101ori voters who have previously supported the M\u0101ori Party to throw their political allegiance behind Labour. ACT has not sought to try to gain political support on this issue; we have sought to educate New Zealanders and to explain to them the provisions of the bill. I ask the members of the M\u0101ori Party whether they honestly believe that New Zealanders have been told the truth by the National Government. If they honestly put their hand on their hearts, I do not think they can answer yes to that question. The reason I say that is a lot has been said about access to the common marine and coastal area. Boaties will get a surprise when they look at clause 28, because they will find that when they sail into a bay that has been granted customary title they will be able to anchor there only temporarily. What is \u201Ctemporarily\u201D? Can they anchor their boat for 5 hours, or for 5 days? Who knows? Yet the Attorney-General will stand up and say that this provision provides certainty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EThere has been a racist element to this debate. We have received emails from members of the public, and I have gone on record, and the media have acknowledged this, as saying that ACT\u2019s position is different from the Coastal Coalition, and it has always been different. ACT believes that iwi and hap\u016B should have the right to go to court. I have stressed that point at every public meeting that I have held over the last 6 months\u2014at every single public meeting. ACT will be voting against this bill. We think it is a tragedy for iwi and for hap\u016B, and we think it is a tragedy for all New Zealanders. The feelings of resentment that the Deputy Prime Minister spoke about this afternoon will not be resolved by this. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022 data-id=\u00222cfce95eb6fc480d9def8f0d056f90e5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222cfce95eb6fc480d9def8f0d056f90e5\u0022\u003EHon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader\u2014M\u0101ori Party):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, e te Mana Whakahaere o t\u014D t\u0101tou Whare. Mihi au ki ng\u0101 mema P\u0101remata i koneki tae noa ki a koutou ng\u0101 mana, ng\u0101 reo kua tae mai ki te whakanui i t\u014D t\u0101tou r\u0101. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, nau mai, whakapiri mai. E tika ana hoki kia mihi atu ki a r\u0101tou ng\u0101 mate kua ngaro atu, r\u0101tou i pupuri ai i te mana o ng\u0101 whenua, o ng\u0101 takutai moana, o ng\u0101 roto, o ng\u0101 maunga, i ng\u0101 w\u0101 mai r\u0101 an\u014D. I tipu ng\u0101tahi t\u0101tou me te whenua nei. He M\u0101ori t\u0101tou, he iwi, he hap\u016B, he wh\u0101nau. N\u0101 reira, ng\u0101 mate kua p\u0101 ki a t\u0101tou, r\u0101tou i kaha ki te pupuri i te mana i runga ake i ng\u0101 whenua mai i te hainatanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi tae noa ki t\u0113nei r\u0101. N\u0101 reira ng\u0101 mate, koutou, haere, okioki pai mai. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EN\u0101, kia hoki ki te kaupapa o te rangi nei. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. I te tau 2003, i te Kirihimete i hui m\u0101tou o Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu i t\u0101 m\u0101tou hui whakamutunga m\u014D te tau. I reira ka puta mai te k\u014Drero a te mahi o te K\u0101wanatanga ki te whakat\u016B i t\u0113nei Ture Takutai Moana m\u014D te 2004. I reira ka puta te k\u014Drero \u0101 m\u0101tou, ka tau te taunaki kia h\u012Bkoi ki te P\u0101remata nei. N\u0101 m\u0101tou i tono atu ki ng\u0101 iwi katoa ki Te Tai Tokerau, ki Te Arawa, ki hea r\u0101nei, kia h\u012Bkoi tahi t\u0101tou ki konei i te tau 2004 ki te porot\u0113hi, ki te t\u016B pakari, ki te k\u014Drero, e whakah\u0113 ana ki t\u0113nei ture e tango nei i te takutai moana. N\u0101, kua oti k\u0113 te m\u014Dhio, e 30,000 t\u0101ngata i h\u012Bkoi mai, mai i ng\u0101 pito katoa\u2014ng\u0101 tamariki, ng\u0101 kaum\u0101tua. M\u014D \u0113tahi o r\u0101tou kua ngaro atu, kua mate. N\u0101 reira i tae mai m\u0101tou, i k\u014Drero m\u0101tou ki te P\u0101remata o taua w\u0101, ki te K\u0101wanatanga, k\u0101re m\u0101tou e whakaae ana kua tangohia t\u0113nei ara ki te k\u014Dti. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EI t\u012Bmata mai i Te Tauihu-o-te-Waka i a Ng\u0101ti Apa m\u0101. I haere r\u0101tou ki te k\u014Dti, ki te kimi i t\u014D r\u0101tou t\u016Branga i runga ake i te whenua, i te takutai moana i roto i a r\u0101tou. N\u0101, i mahi tino tere te K\u0101wanatanga kia aukatingia te haere o ng\u0101 M\u0101ori ki te k\u014Dti, ki te kimi mana i runga ake o te takutai moana. K\u0101hore t\u0113r\u0101 K\u0101wanatanga i k\u014Drero ki te iwi M\u0101ori. K\u0101hore r\u0101tou i k\u014Drero ki ng\u0101 mema o Reipa, ng\u0101 mema M\u0101ori. Kei te m\u014Dhio au, k\u0101re ng\u0101 mema i taua w\u0101 e tino tautoko ana i t\u0113n\u0101 ture \u0113ngari, koin\u0101 te mahi o te P\u0101remata nei. Ko te nuinga ka p\u014Dti, ka wikit\u014Dria \u0113tahi, ka ngaro t\u0113tahi. N\u0101 reira kua p\u0101hi t\u0113n\u0101 ture. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EN\u0101 reira ko te h\u012Bkoi mai i t\u0113r\u0101 tau, he h\u012Bkoi o te ng\u0101kau, n\u0101 reira, t\u0113nei kua tae mai ki t\u0113nei w\u0101, te r\u0101 i whakatau, i p\u0101hi ai t\u0113nei ture takutai moana m\u014D t\u0113nei w\u0101. N\u0101, m\u0101 t\u0113nei ture e mukua t\u0113r\u0101 pire o te tau 2004, e whakaw\u0101tea ana i te huarahi kia hoki ng\u0101 iwi ki te k\u014Dti, atu ki t\u0113n\u0101, ka \u0101hei te k\u014Drero kia haere tonu ng\u0101 k\u014Drero kia taea e ng\u0101 hap\u016B me ng\u0101 iwi ki te tono atu ki te K\u0101wanatanga me te k\u014Dti, \u0101, i runga i t\u0113nei kaupapa. Ki ahau nei, ko t\u0113nei ture, he utu m\u014D t\u0113r\u0101 kua whakaturetia i te tau e 2004. N\u0101 reira koin\u0101 t\u0101ku i t\u016B nei i runga i te mana o \u014Dku t\u012Bpuna m\u0101tua ki te k\u012B ki a t\u0101tou te iwi M\u0101ori, an\u0101, kua tae ki t\u0113nei w\u0101 kia t\u016B pakari t\u0101tou ahakoa p\u0113hea te taumahatanga i runga i \u014D t\u0101tou pokohiwi. N\u0101 reira, anei r\u0101 kua tae mai ki t\u0113nei rangi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EN\u0101 reira, m\u0101ku i t\u0113nei w\u0101 e whakam\u0101rama atu, ko wai m\u0101tou te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori. Ko m\u0101tou he ringaringa o te P\u0101remata. K\u0101hore m\u0101tou e kawe te mana, te rangatiratanga o ng\u0101 iwi, o ng\u0101 hap\u016B, o t\u0101ngata m\u0101. Kai a r\u0101tou t\u0113n\u0101. Ko te Ao M\u0101ori t\u0113n\u0101 te rangatiratanga. Ko t\u0113nei he Whare P\u0101remata, he kaupapa mai i Westminster kua whakat\u014Dkia kei roto i t\u0113nei whenua, ka haere katoa ng\u0101 kaupapa i raro i t\u0113n\u0101 kaupapa o te Whare P\u0101remata. Ko te kaupapa i konei, ka k\u014Drero t\u0113n\u0101 taha t\u0113nei taha ka mutu, ka p\u014Dti. M\u0101 te nuinga o ng\u0101 p\u014Dti e wikit\u014Dria. Mehemea he torutoru ng\u0101 p\u014Dti, ka hinga. He kaupapa P\u0101keh\u0101 t\u0113nei, \u0113hara i te kaupapa M\u0101ori. Kia m\u014Dhio mai. Kei konei m\u0101tou, kua uru atu ki roto i t\u0113nei kaupapa, te kaupapa o te Whare P\u0101remata. N\u0101 reira anei m\u0101tou he ringaringa m\u014D te iwi, he ringaringa m\u014D koutou ng\u0101 iwi, ng\u0101 hap\u016B. Tukua mai \u014D koutou k\u014Drero, \u014D koutou kaupapa. Mehemea ka whakamanatia i roto i t\u0113nei Whare P\u0101remata, anei r\u0101 m\u0101tou ki te tautoko i \u014D koutou tono. Kia m\u014Dhio mai. N\u0101 reira t\u0113n\u0101 koutou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003ETino p\u012Brangi au ki te whakam\u0101rama atu i t\u0113n\u0101. Ki ng\u0101 mema i t\u0113r\u0101 taha e k\u014Drero mai m\u014D te koretake o t\u0113nei P\u0101ti M\u0101ori. \u0112, tino h\u0113 koutou. Tino h\u0113 koutou. Kua riro ki a m\u0101tou \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 h\u014Dtaka, ng\u0101 kaupapa p\u0113nei i te Wh\u0101nau Ora; ng\u0101 Whare Oranga Ake kia whakahokia ng\u0101 mauhere M\u0101ori ki roto i te iwi, e rua ng\u0101 whare ka t\u016B i t\u0113nei tau; te arotake i t\u014D t\u0101tou reo M\u0101ori, k\u012B mai te Wai 262, ngaro haere t\u014D t\u0101tou reo, k\u0101ore an\u014D kia whakapakaritia; an\u0101, n\u0101 te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori, e t\u016B t\u0113tahi arotakenga i te mana o t\u014D t\u0101tou reo. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EKei a au t\u0113tahi r\u014Dp\u016B \u014Dhanga, whakapakari ai i te \u014Dhanga M\u0101ori; ng\u0101 M\u0101ori e mahi ana, ng\u0101 manukura o ng\u0101 iwi e mahitahi ana m\u0101tou ki te whakapakari i te p\u016Btea m\u014D \u014D t\u0101tou iwi, \u0101, m\u014D te mana o t\u014D t\u0101tou iwi. Ko t\u0113tahi, ko te kawenata matua kia arotakengia t\u0113nei kawenata. Ka hia tau ka k\u014Drero t\u0101tou m\u014D te mana o te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka hia tau i tae atu m\u0101tou ki Waitangi ki te porot\u0113hi kua tango te mana o te Tiriti o Waitangi, kei hea t\u0113n\u0101 i roto i ng\u0101 ture o te ao nei, o t\u0113nei whenua? N\u0101, kua whakaae te K\u0101wanatanga nei kia arotakengia t\u0113nei kaupapa nui. He w\u0101 t\u0113nei m\u014D t\u0101tou ki te haramai ki ng\u0101 hui k\u014Drero ai, kaua e noho wahang\u016B. Mehemea kei te p\u012Brangi koutou kia whakamanahia t\u014D t\u0101tou Tiriti o Waitangi anei, kua huakina mai te tatau. N\u0101 reira haramai koutou ki \u0113r\u0101 momo hui, ki te mahi i t\u0113n\u0101. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003E\u0100 m\u0101tou mahi i t\u0113nei, k\u014Drero au m\u014D te mahi o te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori. Te p\u0101nui pukapuka i ng\u0101 kura, n\u0101 m\u0101tou i tuku atu ki roto i ng\u0101 kura, kura M\u0101ori, kura P\u0101keh\u0101 katoa m\u014D ng\u0101 mea nohinohi, kia \u0101hei ai r\u0101tou ki te p\u0101nui pukapuka. \u0112r\u0101 mahi katoa. N\u0101 m\u0101tou i whakaiti te t\u0101ke i runga i te peneh\u012Bni, me te hikohiko i raro i te kaupapa Government Electronic Tenders Service i t\u0113tahi w\u0101 n\u0101 t\u0113nei; me te utu m\u014D te tangata ia h\u0101ora, n\u0101 m\u0101tou i werohia t\u014D t\u0101tou K\u0101wanatanga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EN\u0101 reira koin\u0101 ahau e t\u016B nei ki te k\u012B, anei r\u0101 m\u0101tou \u014D koutou ringaringa. Anei t\u0101 m\u0101tou mahi kei roto i te Whare P\u0101remata nei ki te kawe mai i \u014D koutou hiahia, ki te mahi i ng\u0101 mahi kia tuku atu i mua o ng\u0101 p\u0101ti e rua, toru, wh\u0101 i konei; ki te kimi huarahi m\u014D t\u014D t\u0101tou iwi. Kei te mahi p\u0113nei ai \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 mema P\u0101remata i konei. Ko te katoa o ng\u0101 M\u0101ori i konei, e tino tautoko ana i te iwi M\u0101ori, ng\u0101 hap\u016B, ng\u0101 iwi. K\u0101ore he M\u0101ori i konei, k\u0101re e tautoko ana i te iwi M\u0101ori. \u0112ngari, n\u0101 te kaupapa o t\u0113nei w\u0101hi, ka noho t\u0101tou, wero t\u0101tou i a t\u0101tou kei roto i t\u0113nei Whare. \u0112ngari, i te mutunga ake, anei te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori. K\u0101ore he matua kei runga i a m\u0101tou, k\u0101ore he p\u0101ti e k\u012B nei ki a M\u0101ori me p\u0113nei, me p\u0113n\u0101. Ko m\u0101tou te r\u014Dp\u016B motuhake m\u014D koutou. N\u0101 reira kei te mihi au ki te Pirimia, otir\u0101 ki ng\u0101 Minita, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa kei raro.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003E[Greetings to you, Mr Deputy Speaker of our House. I acknowledge the members of Parliament present here today, including you, the authorities and languages who have arrived here to celebrate our day. Greetings, welcome, come closer. It is fitting, as well, that I acknowledge those who are no longer with us, the ones who held in their hands the power over the lands, foreshore, lakes, and mountains since time immemorial. We and this land evolved together. We are M\u0101ori\u2014tribal, subtribal, and family. So the ones who died and affect us strove to maintain control over the lands in their time, from the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, right down to this day. So I say to you, the dead: depart, farewell, and rest there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003ELet me come back to the matter relating to this day. Greetings to you all. In the year 2003, at Christmas, we of Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu were at a meeting\u2014our final meeting of the year, in fact. It was there that word came that the Government was planning to draft the Foreshore and Seabed Act for the year 2004. And it was there that the recommendation was made to march upon this Parliament. We asked all tribes from the far north, Te Arawa, and wherever, to march here together with us in 2004, to protest, to stand strong, and to voice our opposition to the law that would take our foreshore and seabed away from us. Now, it is well known that 30,000 people, young and old, marched from all over the country. Some of them have died. So we came, engaged with Parliament and the Government of the day, and said we did not agree to access to the courts being denied. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EIt began among the tribes of the northern South Island, with Ng\u0101ti Apa and others at Te Tauihu-o-te-Waka \u2014the Bow of the Canoe. They went to court to have their rights over the foreshore and seabed determined amongst them. The Government then moved quickly to deny access to the courts by M\u0101ori tribes to determine ownership over the foreshore. That Government did not consult the M\u0101ori people. It did not consult Labour members and the M\u0101ori members of that party. I know for a fact that members at that time did not really support that law, but that is how this Parliament works. It is a majority vote\u2014you win some, and you lose some. So that legislation was passed into law. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EThe march at that time was one of the heart. We have arrived here now, at this moment, the day this Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill is settled and passed, for the moment. This bill will repeal that legislation of the year 2004. It clears the way and enables tribes to go back to the courts again. Beyond that, it enables discussions to continue so that subtribes and tribes can apply to the Government and the courts about this matter. To me, personally, this legislation is payment for the legislation enacted in 2004. So that is why I stand before you, on the power of my ancestors, to say to us, the M\u0101ori people, that the time has come for us to stand staunch, regardless of the hardships upon our shoulders. So here we are; we have arrived at this day. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EAt this point, I shall outline who we of the M\u0101ori Party are. We are servants of Parliament. We do not carry the authority and right of authority of the tribes, subtribes, and the people, at all. They have that \u2014M\u0101oridom has it. This is a House of Parliament that originates from Westminster. Its procedures are well and truly embedded in this country. All matters here are conducted under that parliamentary procedure. Each party here speaks, and at the end a vote is cast. The majority vote cast determines an outcome. If there are fewer votes cast, the matter is deemed lost. This is a P\u0101keh\u0101 system, not a M\u0101ori one. You, the M\u0101ori people, have got to understand this. We are here, we have entered into this procedure of Parliament. Therefore, we are your servants in this House, servants for you, the tribes and subtribes. Send us your talk and policies. If you want them enacted here in this House, that is what we are here for\u2014to support your demands. Make a note of it. So thank you collectively. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EI really wanted to explain that about us, and to make it clear. To those members on that side of the House who are telling us that this M\u0101ori Party is useless, you collectively are so wrong\u2014absolutely incorrect. We have secured programmes and initiatives like Wh\u0101nau Ora; and ng\u0101 Whare Oranga Ake, units to be established to house M\u0101ori prisoners so they can be reintegrated into the tribe\u2014two have been built this year. There is a review of our M\u0101ori language. Wai 262 states that our language is disappearing\u2014it has not been rejuvenated. Well, as a consequence, a review of the status of our language has been implemented by the M\u0101ori Party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EI have an economic taskforce that is tasked to strengthen the economic situation of our tribes. There is another one that relates to the constitution\u2014a major one. How many years have we talked about the status of the Treaty of Waitangi? How many years have we arrived at Waitangi to protest that the status of the Treaty has been removed; where is it in world laws, and in our own? The Government has now agreed to review this important issue. It is an opportunity now for us to come to the forums\u2014but do not sit back in silence. If you collectively want our Treaty of Waitangi enshrined in legislation, the door has been opened up. So come to those sorts of forums to work at that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003EIn relation to how we deal with this, I will talk about what the M\u0101ori Party has done. Reading books in schools: we promoted that in the schools, including M\u0101ori schools and all mainstream schools\u2014for preschoolers, as well, to enable them to read\u2014all those kinds of initiatives. We have reduced the tax on petrol, and, in time, electronics, under the Government Electronic Tenders Service scheme; we also challenged the Government about the personal hourly rate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219767ece-60f1-4014-9855-74afaa34e699\u0022\u003ESo that is why I stand here and say to you, the collective, here we are, your servants. Our responsibility in this House is to bring your needs here, to do what has to be done to them before putting them before the parties here, be it two, three, or four, to find ways for our people. Some members work like this here. All M\u0101ori members here really support the M\u0101ori people, subtribes, and tribes. There is not one who does not. But because of what this place is about, we are forced to poke and prod each other in this House. But at the end of it all, here is the M\u0101ori Party\u2014there is no one in charge above us, no party telling M\u0101ori that you should do it this or that way. We are the independent party for you. So I acknowledge the Prime Minister, and, indeed, the Ministers; greetings to you, collectively, and to us all. I end here.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022 data-id=\u0022afce09b3a3324acda13e00e27c7f7969\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022afce09b3a3324acda13e00e27c7f7969\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Te mea tuatahi, aku mihi ki a koutou e te p\u0101p\u0101 Pita, e te whaea Tari, kei a koutou aku rangatira, aku tu\u0101kana i roto i te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori; t\u0113nei te mihi, t\u0113nei te aroha ki a koutou katoa. Ng\u0101 rangatira o te motu nei anei te mihi ki a koutou, e aku rangatira, e aku tu\u0101kana i runga i taku komiti, te komiti whiriwhiri take M\u0101ori o te Whare nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E[The first thing is to thank you all\u2014Pita, the fatherly figure; Tariana, the motherly figure; and my esteemed and elder colleagues in the M\u0101ori Party. I acknowledge and empathise with you all. To the leaders of this nation, I salute you, the esteemed and respected members on my committee, the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee of this House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EFirst of all I congratulate the members of the M\u0101ori Party, basically on being here and doing what they said they would do, which was to repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. So I give big ups to that party. Secondly, it was not National members who stood in this House and accused M\u0101oridom of being haters and wreckers, and who accused people of all sorts of things. When the Prime Minister of this nation, Helen Clark, felt that it was a better look to visit a sheep named Shrek instead of going outside and greeting 50,000 people, I thanked God I was never a voter for that party. Then, having come to this stage of my political career, I hear\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c87c7e659a3a4d9ab6d871f7b7a7bd8b\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: Tell us about when you were a union rep.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0b9efdcad6143c4a4fbcbe84a0f8a8d\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: What about then? I will tell the House what I was doing then. I was talking about the right of people to go to court, the right of people to seek justice in the courts. But within 2 hours of the Court of Appeal decision, both Helen Clark, the Prime Minister, and Margaret Wilson had said that all bets were off. They said: \u201CWe\u2019re not going to court, and you M\u0101oris are not going to court to find out whether you own something or don\u2019t.\u201D The Court of Appeal judges said that it would be very hard to prove a case, but people could still come to court and find out whether they could. But that was all M\u0101ori asked for. Yes, I know that some of my wh\u0101nau up north were jumping up and down, left and right, saying that the beaches were ours, and asking how the Government dared to confiscate the beaches. Well, the Government did not do that, but it did confiscate our human right, our civil right, to be able to go to court and seek justice. That is what it was all about. So when the question is asked of me about what was I doing then, I tell the House that I was on the radio, on Newstalk ZB, talking about that stuff. I marched over the harbour bridge in support of the M\u0101ori Party, in support of the repeal of the 2004 Act, and in support of the right to seek justice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EI will talk briefly about our M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. I congratulate every member on our committee, especially the M\u0101ori members, who have had to put up with some of the worst vitriol that I have ever heard inside or outside this place. I say to every party\u2014Labour, National, and the Greens\u2014who had a M\u0101ori on that committee that I commend the actions of their members on the committee. I enjoyed myself immensely; it is the committee that I have always wanted to chair, and I finally got my wish.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EI turn now to John Boscawen, the \u201Cprince of parliamentary procedure\u201D, the prince of\u2014no, not darkness, but he may be one day. I note the sort of vitriol and the twisting and turning of the issues we had from our coalition partner. In my mind, I suppose, this is why Mr Key is the Prime Minister and I am not: if I was the Prime Minister, there would be no warrant for that member who is sitting over there. There would be no warrant for that member sitting over there. I said last week that I accepted the apology\u2014not on behalf of all M\u0101ori but on my own behalf\u2014that the Hon Maryan Street made in this House. It is time for us to move on so that we can deal with the issues that Kelvin Davis raises. It is time for us to say that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cf34e3c55d9241a3b9f2a493ddcbfff7\u0022\u003ESu\u2019a William Sio\u003C/span\u003E: P\u0101keh\u0101 and M\u0101ori are now at each other over this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246c3bcbb93434367b3815d8b62a21975\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: That is the acolyte from Labour, sitting in the cheap seats. Look, it is time for us to move to a better place\u2014a better place where we can actually have our barbecues and do whatever we want on our beaches. But regardless of any law, whether it be the 2004 Act or the 2011 Act, there will always be somebody who jumps up and says: \u201CGet off my beach! This is not your beach; it is mine.\u201D No law in the land will stop that, so people should not go around using that as an excuse to vote against legislation that I consider to be a wee bit better than the 2004 Act. Will we ever get legislation any better than this? I doubt it\u2014I doubt it. Do members know why? It is because the Greens will never be in Government. They can say what they say because they will never be in Government, and because they will never have to front up to the whole of New Zealand and say: \u201CThis is what we have to deliver.\u201D They have to front up to only 5 percent of the nation, and they can say what they want on whatever planet they are on. But they will say it just for that little 5 percent\u2014or, these days, even 6 or 7 percent. Oh, it is 7 percent. But they do not have to say it to the majority of this country. The majority of this country wants just to get on. They just want to be able to put a roof over their heads, they just want to be able to go to the beach and pick a few kai moana for themselves so that they can put it on the table. That is all they want.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd79664679754d38848077e388e752a2\u0022\u003EHon John Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Or having a rest, even.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e8f1c3b0f1564bcf8da56766cc6b2214\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: As John Carter says, even just for a rest. It has nothing to do with anything else, and if people think there is some sort of subliminal takeover of this country by some radical M\u0101oris, my goodness I would like to see it. I would like to see it, because some of my wh\u0101nau up north have been waiting for a hell of a long time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003ETo talk about colonialism and imperialism, as a sister did over there, is all well and good for 1880-1890. But this is 2011 and it is time to move on. It is time to pick up our tools, pick up our toys, play together in that big sandpit, and not be divided. If we cannot do that, then we are seriously, seriously in trouble.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EI want to turn briefly to my whanaunga Hone Harawira. I believe that a democracy works because we have dissent. It does not work when we do not have dissent. So to all the wh\u0101nau who turned up the other day\u2014and there were only 200 or 300\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268509c2fe5724783b3f64a16cf2b695b\u0022\u003EPaul Quinn\u003C/span\u003E: Mostly your relations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b5b2433c522444d592f90917173daeb7\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, they were mostly my relations, and I am from the cradle of colonisation so at least I know what I am talking about. I congratulate them on the manner and the way they came to Parliament, and the way they brought their message. I congratulate them. I cannot congratulate these three groups: the Coastal Coalition, the One New Zealand Foundation, and that party over there. That party has done nothing but cause trouble on racial grounds.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f1de5b188f14f1ea637edd9c624275d\u0022\u003EHon David Parker\u003C/span\u003E: You said \u201Cthat party\u201D. You meant ACT.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c0d2655ae02449e2bff1dbf97d928bb2\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: That ACT Party\u2014I am sorry, it is the ACT Party. I thought Winston was good at it, but boy, he has got nothing on these fellas. I commend the bill to the House and I thank every member of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee who had to go through what they went through\u2014not a lot of committee members have to go through that abuse and vitriol. Congratulations to the M\u0101ori Party, and congratulations to National. This is about moving on. This is about the first step of our playing in the big sandpit together.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u002290f3f68bbe074f0695fb3b38b2082516\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002290f3f68bbe074f0695fb3b38b2082516\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I begin by saying it is a great sadness that the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill does not settle the issue. As I and other members on behalf of Labour have said previously, it means that the objective that National and the M\u0101ori Party set for themselves has not been met. We were very close to being able to achieve a settlement that all sides could live with. If there had been an acknowledgment on the part of the M\u0101ori Party that this legislation, when passed, settled the framework for determination of foreshore and seabed in a fair way, then I think that the rest of Parliament would have rallied round. We would have tried to deal with the detail of the threshold test, we would have tried to take some of the ambiguity out of it, and we would have tried to ensure that it was fair. But, of course, the M\u0101ori Party did not take that stance. It actually said that it did not accept it was fair. The co-leaders, the Hon Tariana Turia and the Hon Pita Sharples, and their chief whip, Te Ururoa Flavell, said the same thing. As a consequence this Parliament has been left with an assertion that this settles issues, when we know both from the attitude of parliamentary parties, including the M\u0101ori Party, including the ACT Party, and from Hone Harawira and others that it is but a fiction, because they do not accept that this is a fair settlement. That is where, for me, there is a certain sadness, because the issues have narrowed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EI agree with the Hon Tau Henare that this legislation has never been about access to beaches, and that people who use that language are being divisive and are endangering race relations. That is something Labour did not do during the first foreshore and seabed debate, nor in this foreshore and seabed debate. I have to put on record, in response to some of the criticisms that Tau Henare just made of us, some of the comments made in respect of the last foreshore and seabed bill. Some of the worst of them came from current Ministers of the Government. Dr Mapp said: \u201CWhat the Government is doing here is clearly preferring M\u0101ori above all other members of the community \u2026 So it is very, very clear that we have two classes of citizenship. M\u0101ori are in the preferred position.\u201D That was wrong. It is absolutely clear that if there are two classes of citizenship in New Zealand, those at the bottom of the economic tree more often than not are M\u0101ori, not non-M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003ENick Smith said: \u201CThis bill is racist. This bill is flawed.\u201D He said that 10 percent of the coastline was going to be vested in new foreshore and seabed reserves. He was replying to what Dover Samuels, on behalf of Labour, had said about how it would not make any difference to families wanting to go down to the beach and have a barbecue. Dover Samuels said that in this House because National members as senior as Don Brash, Bill English, and Gerry Brownlee had all been saying access was at risk. Dover Samuels was making the point that that was not the case with the legislation, and indeed there was an explicit clause in that legislation that preserved public rights of access. What did Nick Smith say at the time? He said: \u201CWell, yes, it does, and I will tell members why. In relation to the 10 percent that his M\u0101ori caucus claims will now be foreshore and seabed reserves, it will be for the management committee to decide who will be able to have a barbecue and where.\u201D That is what Hansard shows was being said at the time. It was irresponsible and it caused a real divisive hatred around this legislation, which this country has yet to get over totally. There are still misunderstandings in respect of both ends of the spectrum of opinion as to what was the effect of the Ng\u0101ti Apa decision, what was the effect of the Foreshore and Seabed Act that we passed, and what is the effect of this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EI come back to the issue of whether there has been political leadership. I have quoted previously a column by John Armstrong, which I thought summed this up. I know that I have referred to it a couple of times previously but it is worth repeating, because I thought he hit it on the head. He said that at the start of this debate we had the M\u0101ori Party and their forerunners saying that the existing legislation, the Foreshore and Seabed Act, was far too rigid and did not fairly recognise M\u0101ori unextinguished customary interests in the foreshore and seabed. That was at one end of the spectrum. National, at the other end of the spectrum, was saying that yes, it did far too much. In the middle we had Labour, which was actually closer to the M\u0101ori Party end of the spectrum than it was to the National end of the spectrum. National moved past where we were on the Foreshore and Seabed Act and it did what we had recommended in our submission to the review tribunal, which was to restore the right to get a remedy from the court. One always had the right to go to court to show that but for the Foreshore and Seabed Act, one had an unextinguished interest. One did not have a right to get a remedy from the court and one had to go back and rely upon negotiation with the Crown\u2014effectively the grace and favour of a future Government\u2014and a future Government could do an injustice by refusing a remedy, and that was wrong. We said that was wrong; we actually agreed with the M\u0101ori Party on that. That could have been achieved by way of an amendment to the legislation. The Government has chosen a repeal; we could have gone along with that too. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EAnyway, we moved there and National moved there. We could have even been pushed a little bit further on some of those things if we had actually had certainty. But we could not, because the M\u0101ori Party would not make that little movement from where they sat, to actually being leaders and saying that the matter was settled for the sake of our country. We then put up another remedy and said that if we could not reach agreement about what the appropriate threshold tests are, we could do what the Greens and the ACT Party suggested, which was to put the whole thing back to the court, including the threshold tests, to let the court determine the threshold tests. In that way M\u0101ori rights would be fully recognised. There would no longer be any misapprehension, at least in this House, that access is at risk. That would have been a good solution. It would also have ensured that M\u0101ori customary interests were no more than fully recognised. Well, that cannot cause an injustice, because this is all about the common law right in the first place, too. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EWe represent the broad spectrum of opinion within the country. We have a very strong M\u0101ori caucus, which is keen to protect the legitimate interests of M\u0101ori, and to protect their unextinguished customary rights. We have representatives of other parts of society, as well, and we all agree that our M\u0101ori members are right. We should fully, but no more than fully, recognise unextinguished interests in the foreshore and seabed. We proposed that the whole thing be referred back to the court. There was general agreement that there needed to be legislation for the sake of settled race relations and that access was not a threat. There was general agreement that we had to make sure that customary interests could not be alienated, because there was a theoretical risk under Te Ture Whenua Maori Act following the Ng\u0101ti Apa decision that recognised that customary interests could be converted to freehold title and then sold. It was always necessary to have some legislation to close off that possibility, and there is now agreement that it was appropriate to legislate re access. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EWe are here not because of a failure on the part of the Opposition parties to show willingness to compromise and to get this issue settled. We are actually here because the M\u0101ori Party was not willing to make that little bit of movement. We are also here because the Prime Minister was not willing to pick up the phone and say to the M\u0101ori Party: \u201CThis is the deal, guys. We said we were going to settle this, and unless we settle it, we\u2019re not going to go through with this charade.\u201D If he had done that\u2014well, we might have had a settlement also, because the M\u0101ori Party might have backed down to that. Alternatively, National could then have accepted that the issue could not be settled, as the fresh codification of the threshold tests was not going to work. National could have accepted that that will not work to the satisfaction of the range of interests that showed up to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. Then it could have moved to our position and referred the whole thing to the court, and that would have settled it, too. It is sad that this is not settled. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EI turn to some of the problems we are left with in the process. We still do not know what the legal effect of the changes to the thresholds test is, because Parliament has not had any legal\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022adadd000a1fa47eda7b773f0f5f4668f\u0022\u003ESimon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: I do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad59cc568a9944c189c78b7e19464867\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: We have heard Simon Bridges say he knows. It would have been helpful if he had told us at the select committee. We were blocked from obtaining legal advice. The Foreshore and Seabed Act had the benefit of advice from a professor who happened to be visiting New Zealand from Cambridge University, who was an expert in matters of international common law rights relating to unextinguished customary interests. We had no such advice at the select committee. The Government blocked us from getting the advice it already had; it refused to let that advice come to the select committee. It was entitled to do that. It can claim privilege, but if it claims privilege it shows that the select committee really should be getting its own legal advice. We are now left with both M\u0101ori submitters and some of the submitters such as the Coastal Coalition having completely different views about what the effect is of the test, because it remains uncertain. Labour opposes the passage of this legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022 data-id=\u0022cd160255b05947509987ee6443bbffa5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cd160255b05947509987ee6443bbffa5\u0022\u003EPAUL QUINN (National):\u003C/span\u003E I will focus on three aspects of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill in my contribution to this debate. Firstly, I take the opportunity to thank the advisers whom I see in the gallery, and whom I acknowledge, and also the select committee staff. I wonder whether anyone knows how much I, at least, appreciated their very hard work, by paying them the compliment\u2014unlike the members on the opposite side of the House\u2014of actually reading the material they put in front of us. I acknowledge and thank them for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EI will also talk a little bit about the process. It is fortunate that the previous speaker spoke a wee bit about the process, because what he just said was a load of bollocks. It is as simple as that. Labour declared its position on 9 December. Labour members said: \u201CIt is this or nothing.\u201D I have here the press release. On 9 December Labour declared its position, and that was it. The Green Party member on the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee sat in the committee and said nothing. Notwithstanding the fact that the leader of that party said that we did not discuss the report, the member who was present when we did discuss it is sitting in the House right now. When we were deliberating he was asked for a contribution. The chairman asked him whether he had something to say, and what did the Green Party member say? He said that, no, he had nothing to contribute, and that his party was writing an independent report.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EThe point is that those people had already declared their positions. Therefore, what was the chairman left to do? The chairman was left to say that if that were the case, the best form of sunlight\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002267595417499f4c69ad9a9da22c20e516\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I refer the member to the Speakers\u2019 rulings on page 117. There are a number of them there. It is a third reading speech. We need to concentrate on the content of the bill. The member may mention what has happened in the Committee of the whole House, but may not speak at length on the select committee process. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d5f2e27fabeb4cb4a22b7c812bb095fc\u0022\u003EPAUL QUINN\u003C/span\u003E: The chairman\u2014wisely, I think\u2014made the decision to bring the bill back to the Committee of the whole House and, in fact, to have all 86 recommendations that were recommended by the departmental report talked about in the Committee of the whole House. I ask what greater acknowledgment of democracy there is than to actually get it out of the secrecy of the select committee and have the debate here, and thrash it out so that the people could see the positions of each party. What did we do? We took notice of all of those submissions, and, as a consequence, we had thousands of amendments. That puts to bed the issue of process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EThe last matter I want to focus on in my short contribution to the debate is the main difference between the major Opposition party and ourselves, and that is the issue of codification. This is where the Opposition has said that it wants to leave it to the courts, full stop. The problem with leaving it to the courts\u2014and history has shown this, as I have referred to in an earlier debate\u2014is that since 1877 we have had three principal cases on which the Ng\u0101ti Apa case was based, and they are all different. Each decision has taken the debate in a new direction. In fact, this Government, under the guidance of the Attorney-General, said that, yes, we need to have the capability to go to court, but we need to ring-fence it, and that is what codification does. It says we make the judgments, but it is within these boundaries.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EIt has been a great privilege for me to be part of this process, and, as a parting shot, I offer a loan of my tikanga book to the ACT Party so that it might get to know it better and be more fully informed when it wants to debate the issue going forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u0022bb5f1e25aa3647ffbd5909d60b803ce9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bb5f1e25aa3647ffbd5909d60b803ce9\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES (National\u2014Tauranga):\u003C/span\u003E The M\u0101ori Affairs Committee received nearly 5,800 submissions and heard several hundred submissions orally. There was a lot of disagreement. There was not much consensus. But the process was, as the departmental report made clear, robust and we listened. The process was not a waste of time; it was valuable. We made changes that the constituency that John Boscawen is trying to appeal to, as well as others, will appreciate and be reassured by. Firstly, we made it explicit in clause 27 that the public cannot be charged for access to the common marine and coastal area. Arguably we did not need to do that, but we did. Clause 94 was amended so that negotiated agreements can now come into effect only following the scrutiny of this House and legislation. A large raft of technical amendments was also asked for by the courts, etc., to ensure that this law works as it is intended. As I have said, there was disagreement. People disagreed for completely different reasons.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022da5b2db2f2c841a39491a5fad0dbd5a0\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I cautioned the previous speaker that in a third reading members can talk only about the contents of the bill as reported back from the select committee. This is a third reading speech. It is not a discussion about what happened at the select committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b7f32def65147b2a9f8b8046a16509c\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: I am well aware of the submissions we received. But the question I would like to pose in relation to this bill\u2014and the substance of the bill as it was reported back to the House\u2014is what is a responsible Government to do in the instance where there is complete discord, where consensus is not to be found? How should the Government deal with these hard issues? We could throw our hands up in the air and do nothing. Let us call that the ostrich option, where we bury our head in the sand. But that option just leaves the problem as a problem. Another bolder Government that is more equal to the task would still have to find a solution. We should not just defer problems, and that is not the kind of Government that I ever want to be a part of. Instead, we have dealt with this problem. We have balanced the various competing views in the interests of all Kiwis. This means, of course, that there are a number of grumpy people\u2014Steve Chadwick not the least of them. But that is better than the ostrich strategy where ignorance is bliss until the ostrich is finally road kill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EFrankly, with a complex issue like the foreshore and seabed, there is no perfect answer. There is no quick fix. There are no simple truths that everyone can sign up to. Rather, there are different perspectives where the best we can hope for is the least bad or least wrong solution. I believe that we have the best solution possible even if it may not be \u201Cthe right one\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f9c7e4d75ad40a4b747b7e01031fa65\u0022\u003EHon Steve Chadwick\u003C/span\u003E: Oh!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8295ac6d05d493aa74e79d053b97157\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Labour\u2019s solution\u2014and Steve Chadwick makes some faint moan\u2014which is its sixth solution to date, is to repeal the 2004 law and leave this hard issue to some unelected judges to sort out. That response is a cop-out. I agree with Paul Quinn that one of the problems is that we do not know what we will get, but it is also an abrogation of our responsibility in this House to another less well-equipped branch of Government to solve the problem. When I say \u201Cless well-equipped\u201D, I do not mean any slight on the judges. It is just that they would have to try to do what we have just done, which is, effectively, hold a select committee and listen to the various voices on this, then attempt to balance the competing issues. The problem is that they cannot. Lon Fuller has noted that, as jurists, they are not set up for that. Courts are geared up to hear a couple of parties and to decide between their competing contentions. They have no process to hear from thousands as we did. We do. As a Government we will not cop out on this difficult issue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d52e59e3-2195-4c95-a654-665c11b39b63\u0022 data-id=\u0022d0d4549448b24831933f7137c2baecc9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d52e59e3-2195-4c95-a654-665c11b39b63\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d0d4549448b24831933f7137c2baecc9\u0022\u003EHon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour\u2014Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti): \u003C/span\u003EE t\u016B atu t\u0113nei ki te mihi ki a koutou i tae kaha ake ki konei ki te whakarongo ki te otinga o te pire nei. E mihi kau ana ki ng\u0101 kanohi M\u0101ori katoa i roto i te Whare nei m\u014D t\u0113nei tino take. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d52e59e3-2195-4c95-a654-665c11b39b63\u0022\u003E[I rise to acknowledge you for being resolute to get here to listen to the completion of this bill. I particularly pay a tribute to all the M\u0101ori in this House in respect of this great matter. Greetings to us.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d52e59e3-2195-4c95-a654-665c11b39b63\u0022\u003EI stood in front of the 2004 h\u012Bkoi, and it was unnerving because a lot of young wh\u0101nau members were there. It has been a telling time from then until now. The M\u0101ori Party came to Parliament and said that it would repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act. I recognise the chair of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, the Hon Tau Henare, especially for the very important statement he made in which he said he believed that the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill is a wee bit better. I think that puts the bill into a clear framework. Whether the bill is a wee bit better or a whole lot worse is something that only time will tell. I certainly recognise the Attorney-General for his sterling effort, but I will also go back and recognise my colleague and friend Michael Cullen for his effort. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d52e59e3-2195-4c95-a654-665c11b39b63\u0022\u003EI will raise a couple of salient points. There is insufficient legal analysis on the threshold test for the establishment of customary title, which has been criticised as being both too high and too low. It was very interesting to hear the Deputy Prime Minister state that we need to modernise, and that we should not stay back in 1840. The right given to M\u0101ori here is in relation to the kawenata\u2014that document\u2014that forged the relationship between P\u0101keh\u0101 and M\u0101ori; it is nothing more, nothing less. I am not too sure if this is a forewarning for why, of all the things to attack, the Government starts attacking M\u0101ori programmes and activities. I could get into a bunfight with the present Minister of M\u0101ori Affairs by telling him what Labour did and what he has not done, but I will leave that for another time. I do not have the time now, and there are more important things to say, but I would tell the Minister and convince him that when I was Minister I did a whole lot better than the Government is doing at the moment. I also have a question about the veto rights conferred upon iwi in respect of developments within customary title areas. I believe they undermine the full and final nature of the commercial aquaculture settlement\u2014these are points to watch as we go along\u2014and that the hap\u016B and iwi planning documents are rated second in relation to what is already there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d52e59e3-2195-4c95-a654-665c11b39b63\u0022\u003EThere are some really interesting things that have come out during this great debate since 2004, in the sense of this being the supposed end-all and be-all. We can wax lyrical about Don Brash\u2019s red-neckery, and Tau standing with him near the board sometimes\u2014I will never forgive him for that\u2014and supporting it, but some of the worst vitriol I have heard from useless P\u0101keh\u0101 in this Parliament has been from the people in the ACT Party. It is outrageous, disgusting, and gutless that we should go to those extremes. There is nothing worse than extreme P\u0101keh\u0101s; they are no better than extreme M\u0101oris. That is one of them down there. I took umbrage at my sister Metiria saying that we were sell-outs or whatever, and that we need to have further discussions, because what I have learnt that this place is that it is about numbers. Sure, maybe in 2004 we could have done better, and there were different numbers in our own organisation. I have no shame in standing here and saying that. If it has hurt some of my wh\u0101nau, I apologise, but that is exactly what has happened. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d52e59e3-2195-4c95-a654-665c11b39b63\u0022\u003EMatua Pita said that no organisation is sitting over him. The irony is that the M\u0101ori Party members are caught in the same catch-22 situation we were in. They are four of the defining numbers that would make a difference in the vote for this bill. Even at this late stage, I humbly ask them to reverse their decision. They have four of the defining votes. I tell members that I have never known any M\u0101ori to cut off access to the beach. Where I come from, we control the land along the beach, and irrespective of the legislation and the courts, we will define and determine what happens there. But it is good that we are at this stage. It is good that we can bring finality. I could go on and on about the highest level of M\u0101ori unemployment in this country since the Second World War. I could go on and on about people not being able to feed their kids, fill their cars up to go to the hospital, and all of that \u201Crubbish\u201D\u2014as people think it is. That is what the Deputy Prime Minister was suggesting: that we should modernise everything and drop the culture. I say to Bill English, tell the Scots to stop playing the bagpipes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022 data-id=\u002214f0affe4cc0477a86e52b7605ee904e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002214f0affe4cc0477a86e52b7605ee904e\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA (Independent\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa e te Whare. \u201CTe tino rangatiratanga, ka ngaro i te ture nei. Te mana o ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata whenua, ka ngaro i te ture nei.\u201D Our sovereignty is lost under this law. Our authority as people of the land is lost under this law. Those words were spoken by a strong supporter of the M\u0101ori Party, Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru, when the h\u012Bkoi arrived to oppose the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill. They represent the feelings of M\u0101ori throughout Aotearoa who are opposed to this racist bill, which will become law when the M\u0101ori Party votes for it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EThis is a sad moment for M\u0101oridom. It is the end of a long and hopeful, but ultimately tragic, journey that began when 50,000 people marched to oppose Labour\u2019s confiscation of our rights to the foreshore and seabed in 2004, and blossomed when the M\u0101ori Party was elected to win back those rights in 2005. Hopes were lifted by the review in 2009, but, sadly, will be betrayed in 2011, when the M\u0101ori Party votes against the people who put them in power and in support of the continued confiscation of M\u0101ori rights to the foreshore and seabed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EEighty-nine percent of M\u0101oridom does not want this racist bill, but still the M\u0101ori Party tells everyone that it is a M\u0101ori Party bill. Those members are pleased to stand in support of it, even though Tariana Turia has said that if they were negotiating on what is fair, just, and moral, then there would have been a very different outcome; even though when Te Ururoa Flavell was asked: \u201CWho is running the timetable?\u201D, he said it was National, when asked: \u201CWho wrote the bill?\u201D, he said it was National, and when asked: \u201CWhose bill is this?\u201D, he said it was National\u2019s; and even though Rahui Katene said they knew that the test the Court of Appeal put in place was far too high and that few would be able to meet it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003ESo confused and contradictory are the comments of the M\u0101ori Party MPs whose votes will turn this racist bill into law that I struggle to understand why they would do it. But a friend explained it like this: \u201CIsn\u2019t it amazing how you can become so embroiled in a fight that you don\u2019t even notice who you are fighting anymore? You become so defensive you stop hearing the other person\u2019s argument, even if it is reasonable. You switch off; you only hear the voices that agree with you. You know deep in your heart that you are wrong, and in those moments when you have only yourself to answer to, you even acknowledge that you might be wrong, but you blindly carry on in your course of destruction because you are stubborn. It takes a huge amount of humility to back down when you have invested so much energy in the fight, but unless you do find a way to gracefully acknowledge that you are wrong, you continue to reap angst and disharmony and you alienate people that you care about. I think that is where the M\u0101ori Party is at. I hope they find the mana they need to step back, refocus, and see who the real enemy is.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EI support the repeal of the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act. I support Moana Jackson\u2019s proposal that we take that repeal and simply add to it a 2-year moratorium to give M\u0101ori the opportunity to come back with a better deal than this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EIn closing, I take this opportunity to thank the M\u0101ori Party for raising this issue, albeit it gave it up without winning t\u016Bpuna title; the ministerial review panel for the excellent and insightful report; the Attorney-General for fronting hui, although his viewpoint was never accepted; the Greens for their consistent support for the M\u0101ori view on this; the 50,000 people who marched with us against injustice in 2004; and the 500 people who marched for us against injustice in 2011. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EBut, most of all, I thank our M\u0101ori people for their courage in the face of the continued denial of their rights, for the compassion that they display for others, and for the deep and abiding love they have for this land we call Aotearoa\u2014a love they share with other New Zealanders, whom I know also care passionately about this land. But there is a special love that comes to M\u0101ori by being born of this land. They are descendants of a people for whom the takutai moana is, and always will be, a part of their very existence. Although others might say that they have given up on this fight, I pledge to M\u0101oridom that, for me at least, this fight will not end until M\u0101ori finally have t\u016Bpuna title to the takutai moana that they truly deserve.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003ET\u016B te Ao M\u0101ori, t\u016B te rangatiratanga, t\u016B motuhake, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[Long live M\u0101oridom, sovereignty, and independence; greetings to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022 data-id=\u002205c208811bc0418aa7d7442c66ddaa33\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002205c208811bc0418aa7d7442c66ddaa33\u0022\u003EHon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General):\u003C/span\u003E The third reading of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill marks the end of more than 2 years of consultation and policy development on a matter that has troubled this nation for many years. Today this House will repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 and replace it with new legislation that recognises and protects the interests and rights of all New Zealanders to the common marine and coastal area. It will confirm the right of public access without charge to that area. It will protect the rights of coastal navigation, port activities, other infrastructure, and access to minerals. And it develops a way in which M\u0101ori can seek to have their interests and rights protected on an equal basis. That recognition and protection will include recognition of mana tuku iho status for iwi and hap\u016B to acknowledge ancestral connections with specific parts of the common marine and coastal area. It allows for the recognition of customary rights associated with the exercise of longstanding activities, and it gives iwi, hap\u016B, and wh\u0101nau the right to seek customary title to specific parts of the common marine and coastal area to which they have had longstanding and continuing connections, subject to the continuing right of access. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EIt has been said at various times during the debate that the Government was rushing things, or was not taking enough time. Indeed, just a few minutes ago Hone Harawira was asking again for the bill to be delayed in favour of a long conversation. Well, we have already had a long conversation. The ministerial review panel, which recommended repeal of the 2004 Act, was set up 2 years ago and reported in June 2009. The bill we debate today has been before the House for 6 months. One thing that has become very clear over those 6 months is that noise does not always equal principled opposition. But for all the noise, what emerged during the debate of the Committee of the whole House was that there is consensus among nearly everyone in this House on the most important points\u2014in particular, the repeal of the 2004 Act; in particular, the restoration of the right of iwi to seek customary title. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EThere have been points of difference between the parties, but I think those differences have narrowed as the debate has gone on. As I said, we agreed that the right to seek recognition of customary title must be restored. Then there was the narrow issue of how we provide for that access to justice. The bill provides guidance for the courts based on the remarks of the Court of Appeal in the Ng\u0101ti Apa case, the experience of Commonwealth jurisdictions such as Canada, and our shared understanding as New Zealanders of the importance of beach culture and manaakitanga. The alternative proposal would be to repeal the existing law and leave the courts to piece together the tests and awards of customary title from scratch. But that would probably take years to achieve and lead to uncertainty. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EWe believe certainty is important. That is why codification of the tests and awards is necessary. Indeed, that was the view of many submitters to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee considering the bill. It was also the view of former Attorney-General Michael Cullen. In Labour\u2019s extremely good submission to the review panel in 2009 he wrote that the goals of certainty and equity demanded that tests and awards should be codified in the legislation, and I agree with Dr Cullen. On a number of occasions I have acknowledged Dr Cullen\u2019s submission and thanked him for his very positive contribution to the debate. Today I record my thanks to him for his help. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EIn all my consultation, I never once met one iwi leader who wanted to stop the public from going on to any customary title area. This set of values about the marine and coastal area is shared by all of us, and is expressed in the fact that Labour and the Greens would also legislate for free public access and the inalienability of customary title. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EParliament created this problem in 2003-04 following the court ruling on the Ng\u0101ti Apa case. It is incumbent on Parliament now to provide a solution and to put things right. We cannot sit by and shrug our shoulders because it may be a difficult task. It is very easy to sit on the sidelines and snipe as the Green Party did. The Green Party has not made one positive contribution to the debate. Third-rate sloganeering is not a contribution. I have some very friendly advice for the ACT Party members, who have been schizophrenic on this issue, not knowing whether to be tea partiers or classical liberals\u2014Sarah Palin or Margaret Thatcher. Choose Margaret Thatcher! Choose classical liberalism! It is a much classier brand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EIn the end I think we have struck the right balance. I note that in the report last year of the UN special rapporteur, James Anaya, he wrote that the bill represents a notable effort to reverse some of the principal areas of concern of the 2004 Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EToday I pay tribute to the M\u0101ori Party for always holding firm to its principles. Working with my colleagues in the M\u0101ori Party on this issue has been the highlight of my time in Parliament. They have achieved repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004, and no one can take that away from them. I particularly mention the Hon Tariana Turia. She has shown quiet dignity and courage in support of her convictions. She does not seek the headlines. She does not need to rant to get her views across; rather, she approaches issues fairly and with the gravity they demand. She is a great New Zealander and a class act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EI acknowledge the leader of the United Future party, Peter Dunne. He has taken a principled approach on this debate from 2003 onwards. He has been of great assistance to me as we worked to find a just solution. I thank David Parker, Parekura Horomia, Mita Ririnui, Kelvin Davis, and Shane Jones for their contributions during the Committee stage of the bill. I have great respect for those parliamentarians. We disagreed on a few key issues, but I agree with David Parker that the debate on their part was devoid of hyperbole and rancour. It was a very positive contribution. That is why I am mildly disappointed with Shanes Jones\u2019 somewhat resentful and waspish contribution this afternoon. Having said that, however, I congratulate Mr Jones on his outstanding amendment. It was so good that it was unanimously accepted by the Committee. Finally, I acknowledge the hard work of the officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Parliamentary Counsel Office. I thank them for their outstanding efforts. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EToday we move to settle an issue that has troubled our nation for a long time, but I am confident, and I genuinely believe, that this legislation recognises the interests of all New Zealanders in the common marine and coastal area. It rights a wrong that occurred in 2004. It represents a just solution to a difficult problem. I commend the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question that the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill be now read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022 data-id=\u0022e8cadad8fa854b4db7715c0d229c9cee\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e8cadad8fa854b4db7715c0d229c9cee\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA (Independent\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Can you explain why you gave the M\u0101ori Party the opportunity to vote differently, but not me?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220d75cf23416a416e9bc8db94d79f59ec\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: According to the interpretation, the member did not cast a vote. No vote was cast but a view was expressed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022 data-id=\u0022f01b6f2aeacc47b290751c5196db0bac\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f01b6f2aeacc47b290751c5196db0bac\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA (Independent\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. A vote was cast.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022 data-id=\u00223e69603975c44b50b2c9a31628751aaa\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223e69603975c44b50b2c9a31628751aaa\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: This matter led to the recall of the Speaker during the Committee stage of the bill. He ruled very clearly that unless the interpretation was clear that a vote had been cast, it would not be counted. I have ruled accordingly. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022980fb13234334097acf226d0ed65eca4\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227375673d310e4ee1866c35da5f45d363\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is the end of the matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u0022d41d6e286a5d48e8b96ff250056d17c2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d41d6e286a5d48e8b96ff250056d17c2\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Minister of Civil Defence):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave of the House to allow the member to recast his vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002262333b790f2b42ab8342d4971361e965\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for the member to cast his vote. Is there any objection? There is no objection. I will ask Hone Harawira to cast his vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00220c14b00625b842919abadd082bfa907a\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill be now read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 58; M\u0101ori Party 4; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 39; Green Party 9; ACT New Zealand 5; Progressive 1; Independents: Carter C, Harawira.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBill read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000418\u0022\u003EWaiata\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c79c0eb0b94f405d82672be31da81a49\u0022\u003EFinancial Markets (Regulators and KiwiSaver) Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00222345bfa9b2e14bfd9462db27cda8b75f\u0022\u003ESecurities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022756ea275862340ef9caa7ddef63d9ea4\u0022\u003ESecond Readings\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000422\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 22 March.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022 data-id=\u002243372ec1f722431dbdc86bf769c126f4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002243372ec1f722431dbdc86bf769c126f4\u0022\u003EKATRINA SHANKS (National):\u003C/span\u003E It is my pleasure to take a call on the Financial Markets (Regulators and KiwiSaver) Bill and the Securities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill. I am continuing my speech from Tuesday night when I was, unfortunately, the last speaker before the bell, so I am the first one up this afternoon. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EI have to say it has been an honour to be in the House today to witness the passing of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill. We have seen history happen today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EJust to recap on what we are doing with this legislation, it is about focusing on improving the integrity of our financial systems. The Government\u2019s overriding focus in the commerce portfolio is to restore the confidence of mum and dad investors in our capital markets, especially after the global financial crisis and the collapse of finance companies. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EThis Government is focused on boosting growth and creating jobs. In fact, these bills are just two in a series of bills that will try to boost confidence in our markets. We are serious about growing this economy. The issue is about getting some capital into New Zealand and allowing businesses to grow. It is much better to get New Zealanders to invest in New Zealand than invest overseas. It has been a slow, gradual process, because there is a lot of change. Change has come over the time of both Governments, I have to say. Lianne Dalziel, who now chairs the Commerce Committee, was previously the Minister of Commerce. She started the process of reform. Under the current Minister of Commerce, Simon Power, that reform is continuing. This Government is now leaps and bounds ahead in getting that investor confidence back. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EI am taking just a short call to finish off my speech from Tuesday night. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022 data-id=\u0022fd24308665a344b396603c850c22d90d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fd24308665a344b396603c850c22d90d\u0022\u003ECHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I will follow my friend and colleague Katrina Shanks by repeating her acknowledgment of the work that a number of people have done on this legislation. The Minister of Commerce, Simon Power, has carried on the reform agenda in this area that was begun by Lianne Dalziel when Labour was in office. That there has been widespread support across the House for this level of reform is a matter the House can take some pleasure in, and I think it is appropriate to acknowledge both Ms Dalziel and Mr Power in my opening remarks. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EI hope, given the announcement that Mr Power will be departing from this place, that we will not see a slackening off in this agenda, because there is a lot more work to be done. A lot of reforms in the financial markets area need to be completed. I have tried to bring one of those necessary reforms to the House with the bill to regulate the activities of loan sharks, the Credit Reforms (Responsible Lending) Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EI will say just a few words about that bill at the outset, because if we are to take the previous speaker at her word, which we must do, then everybody in the House should be serious about comprehensive financial markets reform. What we have achieved so far is to get some way along reforming, if you like, the middle band of the market\u2014the finance companies. I see that Mr Boscawen is in the House. When he was on the Commerce Committee he said some fine words about the need for reform in this area, and I hope that he will follow those words through now that he holds the warrant as Minister of Consumer Affairs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EOne of the areas that still badly needs reform, particularly in these straitened economic times, is the position of those at the lowest end of the market, who have to go to fringe or holiday lenders in order to get credit from week to week because they just cannot make ends meet. This House had an opportunity last year to try to complete the suite of reforms at the lower end of the market, but it did not do so. Members of the ACT Party and National chose not to regulate loan sharks, fringe lenders, and holiday lenders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233fb801472ab4f4fb664ac17a0d2644e\u0022\u003EHon Steve Chadwick\u003C/span\u003E: Shame.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227a451b65d8484901a3c1e25b1af1f9e6\u0022\u003ECHARLES CHAUVEL\u003C/span\u003E: That matter brings some shame on this House. If we are to see comprehensive reform in this area and look after all New Zealanders, not just the so-called mum and dad investors\u2014the middle-class investors who have not been well treated by the market and need to see proper protections\u2014but also those at the lower end of the market, then we urgently need to revisit the issue of fringe lenders. Both my colleagues and friends Carol Beaumont and Carmel Sepuloni will be bringing up measures by submitting them to the members\u2019 bills ballot on a regular basis in order to ensure that this House does not forget the urgent need to also deal with that end of the market. If we are to legislate for all New Zealanders, then we must do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EPrevious speakers have said that the Labour Party supports both of these bills. I will make a couple of comments about the Securities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill. I acknowledge the work that the Commerce Committee has done, and also compliment the officials on their work. I know from my time on the Commerce Committee that the committee is advised by very competent officials, and it is appropriate to acknowledge the assistance they have given. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EThe Securities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill tries to address a number of weaknesses that have been identified in our supervision regime for trustees and statutory supervisors. A licensing regime will be brought into place for those who supervise the issue of securities, and for the statutory supervisors of those who are in charge of another vulnerable sector in our community: people who live in retirement villages. There will be amendments to a number of Acts, such as the Retirement Villages Act, the Securities Act, and the Unit Trusts Act. This new regime will be administered by the Securities Commission. I see that under the provisions of the bill there is an intention that this supervisory role be taken over by the Financial Markets Authority once it is established. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EThe bill follows on from the conclusions of both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which reported in 2004 on this general area, and consultations that were subsequently undertaken by the Ministry of Economic Development in the Review of Financial Products and Providers in 2006. The fundamental finding at that time was that New Zealand places too much reliance on private supervision\u2014basically, the corporate trustees\u2014and that there is no great accountability regime in our law for those people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EThe bill would remove the automatic right for the six appointed and approved trustees under statute to supervise debt issuers and some investment schemes, and introduce a licensing regime for trustees as well. It will make it an offence to act as a trustee or a statutory supervisor without a licence, so that a person who commits an offence will be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $300,000. It is a serious penalty regime. A number of provisions are designed to ensure that trustees, statutory supervisors, and unit trustees comply with their obligations, and the enforcement mechanism, be it the commission or the Financial Markets Authority, can seek penalties and compensatory orders against anyone who fails to comply. Clearly, a better accountability regime will be brought into place by this legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EI refer to a speech that was given by Lianne Dalziel in August last year. She spoke about the improvements that we hoped to see across the market, both by the enactment of this legislation and by bringing into being this comprehensive new regulator of the sector, the Financial Markets Authority. This authority is to absorb the functions currently performed by the Securities Commission, the Ministry of Economic Development\u2019s national enforcement unit, the Government Actuary, and even the New Zealand Exchange, as far as its market discipline functions are concerned. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003ELianne Dalziel said: \u201CThe Minister has said it\u201D\u2014the authority\u2014\u201Cwill have \u2018grunt\u2019 and I welcome that. We need a single-minded approach that says that the risk of getting caught is high and the consequences of conviction are severe.\u201D She went on to say: \u201CI am constantly affronted at the discount our criminal justice system appears to afford the white collar criminal over all other criminals, even though the wealth they have destroyed makes the proceeds of house burglaries pale into insignificance by comparison. I think we should allow our courts to impose what I now call the Madoff sentence for the most egregious cases. And there are some people who should never be allowed to fundraise from the public ever again or to claim the protection of limited liability against creditors\u2014and those are the people against whom fraud has been proven. There should be no second chances under these circumstances.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EThe select committee, as I said, did comprehensive work on this bill. It received and considered 18 submissions and heard eight oral submissions. It dealt with the issue of the inclusion of retirement village statutory supervisors. Obviously that recommendation met with some approval because the House is dealing with the two pieces of legislation in tandem. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003ETo conclude my short contribution, I say that this is necessary regulation of a sector. That is why it is receiving support from across the House. It is not comprehensive regulation. There is still much work to do, as I said, particularly at the bottom end of the market, where our most vulnerable people still are not properly protected. The previous speaker claimed that this legislation was part of some comprehensive economic plan. Frankly, that is a risible claim. There is no such plan. This is sensible regulation that goes some of the way towards what is needed in our markets. For that reason, and that reason alone, it is supported by the Labour Party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022 data-id=\u0022bb98add05e9243908a0d95c07a44f783\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bb98add05e9243908a0d95c07a44f783\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I intend to take only a very brief call, to say two things. First of all, the ACT Party will be supporting the Financial Markets (Regulators and KiwiSaver) Bill and the Securities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill. As Mr Chauvel said, this legislation has support across the House, so the ACT Party will be voting for it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EThe second point I would like to make is to respond to the comments Mr Chauvel made. He referred to the fact that I had been a member of the Commerce Committee prior to being appointed Minister of Consumer Affairs, and I would like to say to Mr Chauvel and others that as Minister of Consumer Affairs I have recently announced a major review of consumer law. Once my officials have that under their belt, I will carry on and review the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act. I can assure Mr Chauvel that the intention is to commence the review he referred to. The focus has been on the review of consumer law over the last 9 months, and that review will bring a lot of benefits to the House. I look forward to explaining to members of Parliament what those benefits are. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277ec6495-df45-43ac-aaa1-a03b5dd4c128\u0022\u003EI say to Mr Chauvel that I am very conscious of the damage that some loan sharks do in the community and I can assure him personally that that is the second thing I will be focusing on, after the consumer law reform.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022899d773f81d8421ca316ea12b4ee4d8a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022899d773f81d8421ca316ea12b4ee4d8a\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E As my colleagues have alluded to, all parties are supporting this legislation through the House, for a number of reasons, but the main one is that it is common-sense legislation. This is very good work undertaken by the Minister of Justice, Simon Power, which is simply a continuation of the work that Lianne Dalziel started. I am slightly concerned, because, as Simon Power mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Simon Power has been the hardest-working National Cabinet Minister\u2014in fact, he is responsible for over 40 percent of the bills before the House\u2014and he has decided to leave. I am not sure why; I can only speculate. I suspect that the reason he has decided to leave is that he is the only one doing any work on that side of the House. He is the only one with a little bit of a plan. Mind you, Simon Power\u2019s plan was to sell State assets. But when one takes away the man who brings 40 percent of the legislation to the House, one is left with a bit of a vacuum in the National Government. One is certainly not left with any sort of plan to drive economic growth. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI was interested to hear Katrina Shanks stand up and say that this bill is a part of an economic plan. I am sorry, but this is not part of an economic plan. This is good, common-sense legislation that we worked together on to help New Zealanders regain trust in the financial markets, but it is not a plan for economic growth. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWe heard that the other reason why Mr Power is leaving is that Mr Joyce and Mr Power had an argument and Mr Joyce came out on top. It was about the leadership, and I understand that Mr Key is going to leave soon. I see Mr Joyce in the front row. It is only one more step to the leader\u2019s chair and he is there. When Simon Power leaves, Mr Joyce comes in\u2014but I digress. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWe are debating two bills together. We are talking about the Financial Markets (Regulators and KiwiSaver) Bill, and we are also talking about the Securities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill. Initially they were considered as single bills, but they were brought to the House together. I think we all agree with that, because the objective of these bills is similar. I will talk very briefly about each bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe Financial Markets (Regulators and KiwiSaver) Bill establishes a Financial Markets Authority\u2014or the FMA\u2014and sets out wider enforcement and surveillance powers than are currently available to regulators. It boosts their power, basically. It also makes changes to the regulation of registered exchanges and improves the regulation of KiwiSaver schemes. This is good for all New Zealanders. Well over a million New Zealanders are enrolled in KiwiSaver, and it is up to us to ensure that they are well protected. KiwiSaver, of course, was an exceptionally good Labour-led Government scheme that was put in place and taken up by the vast majority of New Zealanders. As I mentioned, Labour started the financial markets reform process, and we are pleased that the Government has decided to continue with Labour\u2019s good work. As I mentioned, Lianne Dalziel set up the Capital Market Development Taskforce in 2008, and she did that so she could develop a blueprint and an action plan to develop New Zealand\u2019s financial system. She saw what was going on and she knew something had to happen, so that is what she did. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EAs I mentioned, we are very pleased that Simon Power has decided to act on the recommendations of the task force\u2019s report, one of which was to have a single market regulator. The Labour-led Government took a number of measures aimed at strengthening our financial markets, and this process was accelerated, of course, by the global financial crisis and a spate of finance company collapses. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI would not mind outlining some measures that the Labour-led Government took that led to this bill, or were the genesis of this bill. Let me give members a couple of examples. One example is regulations giving trustee companies robust powers to supervise finance companies on behalf of investors. That does not really need much explanation. As we know, about 40 finance companies collapsed, and that took about $4 billion out of the pockets of good, hard-working New Zealanders and set a hell of a lot of them backwards. In fact, I have talked in the House about four or five times already about the numerous cases where that situation cut to the core to the extent that people committed suicide. This was an insidious process where men and women who were in charge of monitoring the governance of finance companies did not carry out their roles, and the result was catastrophic. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EIn other measures we allowed criminal prosecutions against finance companies that had misled investors to be funded from the Security Commission\u2019s litigation fund, and we are beginning to see this at the moment. Directors are in front of the courts now. Some of them have been tried and some of them have gone down. We cannot comment on that, but I do not think anything can make up for or replace the losses suffered by Kiwis who have worked incredibly hard. But we put in place processes to ensure that New Zealanders can have a degree of confidence in the financial markets. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWe regulated financial advisers and financial service providers. Another point that is important is that before that legislation was brought in, anyone could call themselves a financial adviser. A person could have done anything but still tout himself or herself as a financial adviser, and if consumers did not know any better, then they were open to abuse. As we know, many were rorted, and it was incredibly sad. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EA review of financial products and providers and financial intermediaries commenced in 2004-05, and this was done to improve the regulation of non-bank financial institutions, financial products, and financial advisers. We amended the Securities Act to strengthen rules around insider trading and market manipulation, and we passed securities markets legislation that introduced a co-regulatory framework for supervising registered exchanges. Some of this stuff can get quite complicated\u2014of that there is no doubt\u2014and I will try not to get too complicated. But I think it is important that New Zealanders know that all members of this House understand that work needed to be done. People also need to know that when this happened\u2014and we wish it had not happened, of course\u2014we all wished the regulations had been in place, but they were not. What we need to do now is say to New Zealanders that they can have confidence in the financial markets because we have introduced legislation and we are working really hard to rebuild that trust.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI will speak very briefly about the Securities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill. The main aim of this bill is, again, to protect the interests of investors and enhance confidence in financial markets by requiring persons who wish to be appointed as trustees, statutory supervisors, and unit trustees to be capable of effectively performing the functions of trustees, statutory supervisors, and unit trustees. The aims of the bill are also to require trustees, statutory supervisors, and unit trustees to perform their functions effectively, and to enable trustees, statutory supervisors, and unit trustees to be held accountable for any failure to perform their functions effectively. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EAs members can see, there is a lot of crossover between the two bills, which is why the Minister suggested they be read together, and it is why Labour agreed with that. But it is important, because people need to know that we will ensure that anyone who acts outside the law, or in an unscrupulous manner, will be held to account. There is great concern still around the country that many who perpetrated the ills that resulted in finance company collapses have not been held to account\u2014and I hope they will be. This bill also requires that the Securities Commission be notified by trustees or statutory supervisors when any issuer or supervisor gets into difficulty, and it gives the Securities Commission enhanced power to intervene in those circumstances.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo this is not the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff; hopefully, this is a safeguard, so that when someone does get into trouble they can hold up their hands and say there is an issue there. The experts can be brought in and they can save it. Again, that is just another step to ensure that good, hard-working New Zealanders who have saved for their retirement do not get rorted. This is all very important. The role of trustees and statutory supervisors is very important in ensuring that the interests of investors are properly protected from the unscrupulous, the incompetent, and the inept. The trustee\u2019s role is basically to monitor the issuers of certain types of securities, to ensure that the issuer is complying with the terms of its offer to investors as stated in the issue document or prospectus. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI will make a couple of further points. Although this is very good legislation\u2014as already mentioned, it had its genesis in Labour policy and Labour actions\u2014it is not a plan for economic growth. There is no plan for economic growth there, yet that is what the people of New Zealand really want to see. They want to know when the Government is going to present something that they can grab hold of and say is a vision for the future. There is no vision. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you very much. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EFinancial Markets (Regulators and KiwiSaver) Bill read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESecurities Trustees and Statutory Supervisors Bill read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221f7babfa7362487499fb0ade22c6b1db\u0022\u003ESittings of the House\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022361f4f2418324e588911e3b32eeebdad\u0022\u003ESittings of the House\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022 data-id=\u00226bb84314068c40639d8f058da060c3b8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226bb84314068c40639d8f058da060c3b8\u0022\u003EJO GOODHEW (Junior Whip\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E Given the progress that the House has made at this end of the week, I seek leave for the House to now rise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d6661c177744b13bbd531fb721b40bc\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for an early rising. Is there anyone opposed to that course of action? There appears not to be. Leave is granted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 5.41 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201103242861df78ce4c450fa18488bbfa11bcc6000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"