Sharples Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Sharples Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:628;Page:395] 
9.  
Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Kei te whakaae ia ki nga korero a te kairipoata mo te Ropu Whakakotahi tangata o te Ao ara a Rodolfo Stavenhagen ka raru te nohotahitanga o nga iwi mena ka tapaina te kaupapa “kotahi anake te ture mo te katoa” i Niu Tireni? 
[ 
Does she agree with the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples Rodolfo Stavenhagen that the “one law for all” philosophy is a recipe for making race relations in New Zealand worse? 
] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Acting Prime Minister) 
: 
 The Government is committed to an inclusive society. This means there is only one standard of citizenship but there are instances where it is important to recognise the needs of particular groups in law or policy. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: Does the Prime Minister believe that the statement she made that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination sat “on the outer edges of the United Nations system” is helpful to the promotion of good race relations in New Zealand when so many New Zealanders acted in good faith in taking a claim on the Foreshore and Seabed Act to that committee? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: A relatively small number of New Zealanders took that particular claim to that particular committee but yes I believe the Prime Minister’s statement is a statement of fact in relation to the structure of the United Nations. 
Hone Harawira 
: Given the United Nations’ rapporteur’s advice against the “one law for all” philosophy that: “If States do not take that into account when they formulate their policies I think things may actually tend to become worse rather than better” how will the Prime Minister accommodate the varying cultural and ethnic needs within our multicultural society or will they all be treated the same? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: We already do a great deal to accommodate multicultural and multi-ethnic needs within New Zealand society. But of course there are also some fundamental issues of citizenship and indeed a great matter of law where we are all exactly the same and treated as such. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: Kei te whakaae te Minita ki te Minita Maori kei mua a Niu Tireni i nga whenua katoa o te ao ki te whakatinana i nga kaupapa tautoko i te mana tangata; na he aha nga rawa i hoatungia e tenei kawana itinga ara te Kawana Reipa kia taea e te rahi me te iti o nga tangata o Aotearoa te korero te tutaki ki te kairipoata mo te Ropu Whakakotahi Tangata o te Ao?  
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Does the Minister agree with the Minister of Maori Affairs that New Zealand is at the forefront of international efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for everyone; and given this how much support did this minority Labour Government provide in terms of time and financial resource to enable ordinary New Zealanders to meet and speak with the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples? 
] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Professor Stavenhagen is in New Zealand at the invitation of the New Zealand Government. It is a broad-standing invitation to the rapporteurs of this particular committee but from there on of course it is a matter for the UN committee to be concerned with how they engage in interactions. My understanding is that approximately 65 percent to 70 percent of the time is being spent with Maori and a small amount of time is being spent with the Acting Prime Minister tomorrow.