10. Hon TAU HENARE (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Maori Affairs
Was he satisfied with the performance of Te Puni Kōkiri at the Māori Affairs Committee yesterday?
Does he stand by his comment in the House on 11 May 2006 that Leith Comer was carrying out Te Puni Kōkiri’s statutory monitoring role well, when Leith Comer himself told the Māori Affairs Committee that he had consciously moved resources out of the monitoring area, and the committee’s financial review found that Te Puni Kōkiri was failing to meet this fundamental legislative requirement?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
The answer to the first part of the question is yes; in respect of the second part of the question the member is twisting what was found in that report.
Dave HereoraHon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I told the truth. I told the committee that more Māori are working than ever before. I told the committee that more Māori are participating in education, at all levels. I told the committee that the Māori asset base is growing and is being well-used. I told the committee that Māori are making a strong contribution to this economy, and that common-sense people are recognising this. I told the committee that Māori are celebrating success across sports, arts, and culture, and there is an abundance of it.
Hon Georgina te Heuheu Link to this
Did the Minister advocate for the cutting of funding for local level solutions for Māori in this year’s Budget, or was this programme cut because, as he himself has described in this House, advocating for Māori is “tiresome”, and he could not be bothered arguing for it?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
Sometimes we do feel like that when working with our constituency. But they are great people. I also added that we loved them, irrespective of how they made us feel. But we did allocate $14.8 million in 2005—and certainly outreached for 4 years. I do care about the Māori people, and this Government has done the right thing—unlike the last time National was in Government. What did National do when it was last in Government? It stripped $1.3 billion—tax cuts—out of social services. When it sniffed the recession coming on it sold all the State houses and put Māori on the road. That was under Tau Henare’s watch. He did nothing!
Gerry BrownleeWhen he praised his ministry’s performance on the basis of the report of the Controller and Auditor-General, which found that Te Puni Kōkiri had not significantly breached any law, did he mean that breaking the law was OK for Te Puni Kōkiri, provided the Auditor-General does not catch it?
Hon Georgina te Heuheu Link to this
Is Te Puni Kōkiri’s inability to answer basic questions before the Māori Affairs Committee one of the high performance achievements of his ministry that he takes personal pride in, or is his view closer to the way he described his ministry in its performance as being “tedious”?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
When I came in as Minister, the ministry had $55 million. It now has $156 million. We certainly had our ups and downs when I became the Minister, when I was bullied and barraged by that member over there. But 6 years on, our position is certainly one of wanting to move Māori from dependency to development. What is wrong with that? And this Government has achieved great things, like a 70 percent decline in poverty—30 percent of that being Māori poverty—and attention to early childcare, 27 percent of that being Māori. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with Māori getting into a better space?
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I have been booted out of this House for less than that. I do not want to regurgitate that, but I honestly believe I have been hard-done-by—[ Interruption] And there we go again. That is the second time.
Madam SPEAKERIt was both of them. I think both Ministers should leave the Chamber. As the member said, one has to be fair about this.
Tariana TuriaI seek the leave of the House for the Minister Parekura Horomia to return and answer the next set of supplementary questions.
I am addressing the question. The member will please be seated. I am addressing the member’s question. The normal practice is, of course, that if members are asked to leave, and they are to ask a question or to answer it, they will be asked to come back. I shall follow that practice. I do not need any help from the members. I think we had better ask for the Minister to be called back.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I ask that a messenger be asked to find the member concerned if there is a requirement for him to come back to the Chamber. Thank you.
How can the Minister justify the claim he made yesterday that Budget appropriations should not be discussed by parliamentary select committees?
How can he justify the claim he made yesterday, that Budget appropriations should not be discussed by parliamentary select committees, and if he really believes that, where does he believe Budget appropriations should be discussed—in the TAB?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I do not frequent the TAB—unlike that member opposite—and certainly the appropriate place is in select committees and in consultation with the Treasurer.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. That is an intriguing answer from the Minister. I wonder whether we might now have an indication from the Minister of Finance—I presume, as opposed to the Treasurer.
That is not a point of order, as the member well knows, but he can ask a supplementary question if he wants further clarification.
No, I do not want to waste a supplementary question on this matter. But I just wonder when the Minister of Finance might be available to come to the Māori Affairs Committee to discuss Vote Māori Affairs with the committee.
Peter BrownI raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I wonder whether you could clarify the situation. We had a question from the Hon Tau Henare and an answer from the Minister, in which he denied making the statement that Tau Henare alleged he made, then we had a second question, based on the assumption that he did make the statement. I believe the Minister, and I think as honourable members we are obliged to believe the Minister. He denied making the statement that Tau Henare said he made.
There is nothing to prevent members from asking questions. Consistency is not required under the Standing Orders.
I seek leave to table a report on the goings-on in the select committee yesterday, which has a detailed verbatim description of what the Minister said in the select committee.