Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:608;Page:5995] 
10.  
RODNEY HIDE (ACT NZ) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Does he accept full responsibility for his replies to questions in the House and for the actions of his officials; if not why not? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE (Associate Minister of Maori Affairs) 
 on behalf of the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Yes. 
Rodney Hide 
: In which case has the Minister asked Te Mangai Paho’s Chief Executive Mr Trevor Moeke for an explanation of the emails I tabled in the House on Tuesday; if so what was the explanation? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: The matters addressed by Mr Rodney Hide are subject to an independent investigation. Closure of that investigation will occur this week. A report will be provided to Te Mangai Paho’s board next week and it will also be made available to the Minister. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That is the difficulty that this House has. The Minister of Maori Affairs answered a question on Tuesday in this way: “I would encourage the member to provide me with that information as I suggested ...  so that I can get to the bottom of any of those discrepancies. I assure him that I will do something about it.” 
Hon Tariana Turia 
: He did. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is on top of the current point of order. How come it is OK for Ministers in this Government to interject in that way on a point of order but it is not OK for anyone else? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I did not see who interjected. Had I done so that person would have left. 
Rodney Hide 
: It was Tariana Turia. Does that help you? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member has indicated that. I however would like the member to carry on. Anyone who interjects will be asked to leave straight away. I have already done that today. 
Rodney Hide 
: The report that this Minister was talking about has been under way now for weeks and weeks. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the emails. The Minister of Maori Affairs said in this House that if the emails are supplied to him he will do something about it he will look into it and heads will roll—and now he is waving about some report. How can we have any confidence in or accountability from the Minister when firstly he will not give straight answers and secondly he will not turn up? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is criticism of the Minister which the member is perfectly entitled to voice but it is not a point of order. 
Mahara Okeroa 
: Does the Minister have confidence in his officials? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: I want to correct a perception that the House might have incorrectly taken from previous answers. We have absolute confidence in the leadership of Te Puni Kokiri and will await the outcome of the investigation report that I have just alerted the House to. All questions have been answered— 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member cannot correct his answers in an answer to a question. If he has given answers before that have given us a false impression he should seek the leave of the House to make a personal explanation. When I listen to him I do not know which question he is telling us was wrong; I do not know which one he is correcting. I think he should make a personal explanation and say: “The answer given on yesterday’s question No. 4 when I said so-and-so was wrong and what I should have said is such-and-such.” 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not what the Minister said. I listened to the Minister very carefully; he said in case there had been any false impression given. That does not necessarily apply to any answer he has given. 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: Just to conclude and to clarify the matter completely for the member all questions are answered correctly based on information available at the time. When further information subsequently arises it is right that a member is alerted to the new information and that is what has occurred. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: Given that the Minister of Maori Affairs has stated that all these matters will be sorted out by an independent external review which he told the House on 1 May would be completed the following Monday or Tuesday which he told the House yesterday would be available next week and which this Minister has just told the House will reach closure this week can the Minister indicate which of these three answers is correct or would he like to take the opportunity to provide a fourth? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: The one I gave. 
Rodney Hide 
: Why is it that in the Minister of Maori Affairs’ portfolios thieves liars and fraudsters can so readily find employment at the taxpayers’ expense and is this the standard that he as Minister and his Associate Ministers are setting? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: I was not aware that they were in the employ of the ACT party. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not an adequate answer. The member will give an answer to the question. 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: I await with trepidation or otherwise the response from the independent report. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It cannot be suggested that that addressed the question. He was asked a straight-out question about how thieves liars and fraudsters can be employed in his department and he says he is waiting for a report. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: It is a perfectly adequate response because the question contains an assertion that is the subject of the inquiry. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is absolutely correct. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is a fresh point of order. We have been asking the Minister of Maori Affairs for some time about the goings-on at Te Mangai Paho. As a consequence of earlier questions an investigation was called for by Treasury and Te Puni Kokiri and it has been delayed and delayed and delayed. However new material has come to light prompting further questions to occupy this House’s time. The Minister’s consistent response is to say that we should wait for the report or that a report is being done on this. This House and these Ministers are held to account by Parliament. They cannot dodge answering a question or reply to a question by simply from this day on saying that a report is coming. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. It is common to ask for reports and the Minister said one would be tabled shortly. 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: I seek leave of the House to table the financial review report of the Audit Office briefing to the Maori Affairs Committee with regard to Te Mangai Paho. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I just want to make sure that this is a report that has previously been tabled. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes it is. 
Document not tabled. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: I seek leave to table the Minister of Maori Affairs’ answer in  
Hansard 
 of 1 May and his answer in  
Hansard 
 of yesterday giving the two different answers. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those  
Hansard 
 extracts. Is there any objection? There is.