1. Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party) Link to this
to the Minister of Maori Affairs
He aha tōna whakautu ki te reta a Tiati Carrie Wainwright i kī rā “ko te mutunga mai o te hē, ngā mahi kua kitea e te Taraipiunara”, arā, “i te āhua o ngā whakariterite i waenganui i te Tari Whakatau Take e pā ana ki te Tiriti o Waitangi me Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei, ā, ko te mutunga e hē kē atu ana, ngā mahi me ngā kaupapa here a te Karauna mō te hātepe me te putanga?”
[How does he respond to the letter he received from Judge Carrie Wainwright, that in the process followed by the Office of Treaty Settlements with Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei, a process “more flawed than any the Tribunal has inquired into”, that “the Crown’s policy and practice has been unfair, both as to process and outcome”?]
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Māori Affairs) Link to this
Kei te āta whakaaro mātou ngā Minita i ngā kōrero me ngā tuhinga i roto i tēnei ripoata.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[The statements recorded in this report are being considered by myself and fellow Ministers.]
Ā ki te Minita, he aha kei a ia hei whakatika i tērā kua kitea e te taraipiunara, arā, “Ko ngā tikanga hei whakatau tono kei te whakawehe, kei te tino tūkino i a ngāi Māori. He tino hē tēnei mahi tūkino whanaungatanga, tūkino taura tangata, ka pā hōhonu ki te whatumanawa o Te Ao Māori.”?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[What remedies are in place to respond to the finding from the tribunal that “The process for settling now being followed is creating division within Māori society that is very damaging to relationships and connections, and affects the very core of Māoridom.”?]
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
E mōhio ake anō tātou mai rā anō te āhua o te wehewehe pēnei tōnu. E tautokotia ake anō ngā nawe e kōrero ake anō te tākuta nei. Engari, kāre e tika e waiho ake anō ki a rātou o rāwaho te whakatika a tēnei tāke. Engari kei te whai kaha ake anō te Minita Māori me tēnei kāwanatanga ki te whakatikatika ngā take e kōrerotia ake anō e te tākuta nei.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[We are well aware that divisions such as this one are longstanding. The concerns raised by the member are endorsed. However, it is not appropriate for those from outside to seek a remedy for this matter. But I, as Minister of Māori Affairs, and this Government, are working very hard to rectify the concerns raised by the member.]
Russell FairbrotherHon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
Mai i te tau 1999 mātou i whakatau ēnei take tekau; Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Tama, Ngā Rauru Kītahi, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngāti Mutunga, Te Rōroa, Te Arawa Kaihautū, Te Arawa, Ngā Roto o Te Arawa. Kāore ake noa rātou e mōhio ake noa nō te reka o te reo Māori , ā, porohewa i reira.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Madam Speaker, since 1999 this Government has resolved the following claims: Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Tama, Ngā Rauru Kītahi, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngāti Mutunga, Te Rōroa, Te Arawa Kaihautū, Te Arawa, and Ngā Roto o Te Arawa. They have not experienced the sweetness of the Māori language, even to the stage of losing their hair.]
Christopher Finlayson Link to this
Is not the Government’s go-slow approach to Treaty settlements exposed by the fact that of the 19 settlements reached to date, 10 were started and completed by National in the 1990s, a further eight were started by National, and the Labour Government has taken just one claim from initial negotiation through to final settlement in 7½ years?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
That point is well taken, but it is very, very interesting. It is very interesting because this Government has been about expediency and trying to ensure that we can define what finality is, not rabbiting on and hoping these settlements take another 20 years. What a load of rubbish!
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Has the Minister received any reports, particularly those related to the last questioner’s claims that National effected all those settlements with the Māori people, and can he explain how he reconciles that claim with the billboard campaign mounted by Don Brash and his colleagues over there at the last election—it is called hypocrisy of the highest sort?
Gerry Brownlee
Madam SPEAKERWould the member mind recasting his question without making such comments, while also making sure that the question is, in fact, within the Minister’s ministerial responsibility.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Has the Minister received any reports, particularly relating to the last questioner and the substance of his question, which, in effect, claimed all sorts of settlements by the National Party with the Māori people; do those reports reconcile with the “Kiwi not iwi” campaign and all the other billboards that were up at the last election, and is there a word for that that starts with the letter “h”?
Metiria TureiWho will be held accountable and what will happen to those responsible for the officials’ process failure to interact with cross-claimants as they promised; failure to provide accurate information about their status in the negotiations; failure to involve cross-claimants in the deliberations of officials; failure to respond to cross-claimants unless they had persistent lawyers; and, finally, for the provision of misleading information to the Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei tribunal hearing?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I have no responsibility for the Office of Treaty Settlements, but certainly my colleague Minister Burton and I have been discussing those issues, and that supportive role will continue from the Māori ministry. I certainly have an interest in the cost of all of these settlements and how it keeps the great legal fraternity going in this country.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Ki te Minita, he aha tōna whakautu ki tā te Taraipiunara pānui i tērā Mane, arā, i kite nei rātou i ētahi “tino ngoikoretanga i te āhua o ngā uiuinga i waenganui i a rātou me ērā rōpū o Te Arawa kāore i te whakatau tono”, ā, i te mutunga ake i “āwangawanga te Taraipiunara ka waimeha ngā tikanga a Te Arawa, ā ngā rā kei mua i te aroaro?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[What response does the Minister have to the finding released on Monday that the Waitangi Tribunal found “serious flaws in the way the Crown consulted with non-settling Te Arawa groups”, concluding that the tribunal was left “fearing for the customary future of the Te Arawa waka”?]
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
Kei te kōrero tahi ake anō a Te Arawa, kei a rātou tērā. E mōhio ake anō te tangata e pātai ake anō i tērā pātai, i reira kē rātou i te rā i tuhia wētahi o Te Arawa, e kore e tuhia.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Tēna koe, Madam Speaker. Kia huri ki te reo tuarua nei. The point of order is in respect of the question, which was about his response as opposed to what Te Arawa did or did not believe. I ask the Minister to reconsider his response. The question was about his response, not that of Te Arawa.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Te Arawa are indeed talking amongst themselves. They are dealing with that. The member who asked that question is fully aware that they were indeed there on the day; some of Te Arawa signed and some did not.]
Pita ParaoneTēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Does the Minister consider that the recent reports from the Waitangi Tribunal on the Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei claim and that of Te Arawa will impact on the timeliness of these and other settlements; if not, why not?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
It may do so, but certainly it is interesting that these two reports are the two that never went through the tribunal process.
Ki te whakaae koe ki tā te Taraipiunara i kī, ko tā te Karauna he tuku whakaatu ki te katoa o ngā patapatai, ā, mēnā kei te whakaae, he aha ai i taka roa, kāre hoki i wawe te tuku kōrero, ā, kaititiro i te wā o ngā tono i Tāmaki-makau-rau, ā, he aha hoki ngā mahi i mahia e Te Puni Kōkiri i tēnei wā i runga i tōna mana whakahaere mō te āhuatanga whakatutuki whanaungatanga i waenganui i te Karauna rāua ko te Māori?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Does the Minister agree with the tribunal that it is the Crown’s job to provide evidence on all issues in the inquiry; if so, why was the documentary evidence in the Tāmaki-makau-rau settlement provided late, reluctantly, and piecemeal, and what part did Te Puni Kōkiri play in this role, given its responsibilities in the output class Crown-Māori relationships?]
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
Kei te whai kaha ake noa te Tari o Te Puni Kōkiri i te tautokotia ake noa ngā take nei mai rā anō nā te mea, e puta ake noa taku kōrero ki te Kaiwhakahaere a Leith Comer, hei whakatere tae i te tū ake noa ngā kanohi e mau mōhio, e mau matatau ki ngā take katoa i roto i a tātou o te iwi Māori. Kei te mahi awhi ake noa a Te Puni Kōkiri.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[The Ministry of Māori Development has been working vigorously for a long time in supporting these matters. I have been in consultation with Leith Comer, the chief executive, seeking to hasten the process of bringing aboard staff who are experts in all matters pertaining to our Māori people. Te Puni Kōkiri will continue to play a supportive role.]