11. HONE HARAWIRA (Māori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) Link to this
to the Minister of Maori Affairs
Me pēhea rā a ia e mōhio mēnā ka taea e te kaupapa hōu hoko whenua Karauna te tiaki ngā pānga Māori?
[How can he be sure that the new process for the sale of Crown land will protect Māori interests?]
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Māori Affairs) Link to this
E whakapono ana au ka whakaahurutia e te kaupapa hōu mō te hoko i ngā whenua o te Karauna, ngā pānga o te Māori nō te mea, ka whakarato tēnei i tētahi atu ahurutanga mō te whānuitanga atu o ngā ngākaunuitanga o te Māori, arā, te whakataunga o ngā kerēme o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ngā wāriu ahurea, te tiaki i ngā taonga a Papatūānuku me ngā wāriu tuku iho.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[I am confident that the new process for the sale of Crown land will protect Māori interests because it provides an additional layer of protection that accounts for a broader set of Māori interests, including Treaty settlements, and cultural, conservation, and heritage values.]
Does the Minister stand by his comment: “Labour’s Māori caucus took a close look in the review to ensure Māori interests were accounted for and I’m pleased the new measures will achieve this.”, when, in fact, the new process is entirely voluntary, as opposed to the existing Office of Treaty Settlements land protection mechanism, which was a mandatory scheme applying to all Government departments?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I stand by that statement and the two separate levels that that member is talking about.
Dave HereoraHow can Māori be confident that the new process will adequately protect their interests in particular pieces of land?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
E herea ana e tēnei kaupapa hōu ngā māngai ki te ripoata ki te Minita i runga i ngā wāriu, ngā ahurea, ngā tuku ihotanga o te rohe me ngā hākinakina, i mua atu i te whaiwhakaarotanga ki te tuku i ngā whenua o te Karauna. Mā tēnei e whakarite kia mōhio ngā Minita ki ngā tāngata e whai wāhi mai ana, tāpiri atu ki ngā pānga a te Māori i roto i te whenua i mua atu i te whakaritenga o ngā whakataunga.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[The new process requires officials to report to Ministers on a range of cultural, heritage, local, and recreational values prior to the intended disposal of surplus Crown land. This ensures that Ministers are informed of all interests, including Māori interests, in the land before making decisions.]
Does the Minister stand by his claim that the new process adds a new layer of protection for Māori interests; if so, what does he have to say about the advice that neither he, the Labour Māori caucus, his department, nor local iwi were consulted before one State-owned enterprise advised the Government that it would not be complying with the policy of protecting land in which Māori have an interest, and that it had, in fact, already sold land under its control?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
In moving on, all State-owned enterprises have voluntarily committed to being part of this process.
Would the Minister agree that Māoridom will rightly feel that they have again been betrayed by this Labour Government when he tells Māori people that the new process adds a new layer of protection for Māori interests, but, in fact, under this new process the Government can still sell Landcorp land to the highest bidder for any public policy reasons that it deems appropriate at that time?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I am sure that member would consider and concede as the co-leader of the Māori Party did who lavished support on the Government and the Māori caucus for getting to this stage. Certainly, he did say on 24 September that he was pleased with the comments made by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, and that the Government had to be sensitive when there were historical, recreation, and Treaty issues in relation to Landcorp properties that might be sold. This is an overarching issue. It caters for all vested interests in this land, especially Māori interests, including Treaty settlements.