Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:635;Page:6706] 
11.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Does he have confidence in his ministry; if so why? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 Yes; it is a hard-working and a conscientious ministry. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: When Te Puni Kokiri expanded its staffing levels by 18 percent between 2002 and 2005 why did his ministry also feel the need to increase the numbers of contractors on the books and consultants by some 67 percent? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: As that member would know if he were experienced enough one has to get specialist help in any restructuring. My ministry has advised me that the expenditure on contracting and consulting has decreased dramatically. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Expenditure on consultants has not decreased dramatically; it has increased by 67 percent. The question for the Minister asked why. He did not address that. He cannot address the question surely by saying that the facts we have had to provide to the Clerk’s Office are wrong. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: As I heard the Minister’s answer he did address that the increase had in fact come from a restructuring. There were two parts to the question. He only ever has to answer one. 
Dave Hereora 
: What does the Minister see as the key strength of his ministry? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The Minister! Alongside their Minister certainly it is the ministry’s 10 regional offices and the face-to-face connection and experience they have gleaned over years even when working under Tau Henare and the connection with iwi hapu whanau and other Maori communities. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Why does the Minister name himself as being the key strength of this ministry when in response to written questions 7657 7658 7659 7660 7663 7664 and 7665 he responded that the Minister of Maori Affairs has no responsibility for what Te Puni Kokiri does? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is true in the sense of directing the operational matters— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Please be seated. Members are going to leave this Chamber because other members cannot hear the answers. Members are on their last warning—and it is the back row again. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Operational matters are the responsibility of the chief executive. But this Minister certainly travels enough to have a look around the country. He does a lot more travelling than Tau Henare ever did in his reign. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: Tena koe Madam Speaker. What support can Te Puni Kokiri and the Minister give in having land no longer required for educational purposes returned to the original owners or their descendants such as the Whakaangiangi School on the East Coast; and would he not agree that this is an opportunity for the potential of Maori to be realised as per Te Puni Kokiri policy? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Just about 10 days ago I was at Whakaangiangi School as the Associate Minister of Education after I had been all around the country. There is a land banking process in relation to support for the Treaty settlements and sadly I join with the member from the Maori Party in this. We are ensuring that we cover those matters as quickly as we can. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: In the interests of comparison I seek to table the evidence that in 1991— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Who is intervening? We have to get some order into this House please. Who was intervening on that tabling? 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I was. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Thank you and so was the Minister. The Minister can remain until he has answered the question. 
Hon Tau Henare withdrew from the Chamber. 
Phil Heatley 
: Aw! 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Who said “Aw!”? Phil Heatley—out! 
Phil Heatley withdrew from the Chamber. 
Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek to table the evidence that in 1991 the Maori Affairs budget was $239 million and by the end of National’s reign with Tau Henare it was $39 million. 
Document not tabled. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Was he responsible for contract 7107 which reads: “To develop and provide an issues management system that will progressively deliver information and systems management functionality to Te Puni Kokiri specific to the relationships in information whaihanga.”; if so what does that mean? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: One can always understand snide chuckles. But no it is an operational matter. Can I tell that member and those sniggering over there about what they have been up to. They started off with the Orewa Brash attack. They did that then they moved on to discuss the delineation of Maori blood then they went and had tea with my friends from the Maori Party to see whether they could curry up with some real Maoris and now they continue with their cultural sniggering which is utter rubbish in this great country. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Was the Minister involved in the description of another contract which reads: “To contribute to the relationships and information project phase 2 by providing advice and cooperation development and implementation of sub-deliverables contained in phase 2 project plan to manage the SHAZ to ensure certainty of service delivery during the change interpretation to SHAZ and its transition period to establish professional relationships with all sectors of SHAZ and HINZ to develop succession plans documentation to Te Puni Kokiri’s role in SHAZ and HINZ to carry out such reviews of SHAZ and HINZ as may be necessary.”; if so what the hell are “SHAZ” and “HINZ”? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That shows that the member does not understand the housing portfolio and he is trying to make fun of a lot of effort put in by people. I want to know why he left the financial review this morning after 12 minutes. He did not bother even to stick around. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I left the financial review after 12 minutes this morning because Te Puni Kokiri had a script written by that Minister and I did not understand a word its representatives were saying. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: In the light of the fact that the Opposition spokesperson on Maori affairs does not know what special housing action zones are would the Minister like to organise a briefing for him to try to rectify his ignorance on these key matters? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: As long as he stays longer than 12 minutes I will give him all the information he needs. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Would the Minister agree that in these nine pages of very tight type where literally millions of dollars are dished out by Te Puni Kokiri on contracts that appear to have very little to do with advancing the cause of Maori there is a problem; and is that part of the reason why Maori lag so far behind the rest of the community on income statistics? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: A lot of money is spent on Maori—understandably. I remind that member that when he was last in this House in Government 41500 Maori were on the unemployment benefit. That number is down to just under 14000 at the moment. The average hourly earning rate— 
Judith Collins 
: What about poverty levels? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The member should get her facts right. The average hourly earning rate for Maori has increased from $13.11 in his time to just under $19 now. What is that about? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister stand by his own statement to this House that Maori income compared with non-Maori income sees Maori households being around $9000 a year worse off than non-Maori households; if so what is he doing to demand better performance out of the Ministry of Maori Development? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The Ministry of Maori Development along with other mainstream ministries has put a lot of effort in. It is right that those households are lagging behind. But a fair bit of that comes out of the decrepit policies left by that member and his Government in their time. I can tell members that it was through their influence and I will brief that member on information on that because a hell of a lot of outcomes like this have come out: 50000 more Maori are in jobs right now 92 percent of all Maori who want to work are working 86 percent of Maori children between the ages of 1 and 5 are in early childhood education 10000 more Maori are in highly skilled apprenticeships and almost another 10000 are adding 18 months at a time to skilled occupations. [ 
Interruption 
] It is a lot more than you ever did so put that in your pipe big boy and smoke it! 
Hon Parekura Horomia withdrew from the Chamber.