Samuels Dover: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Samuels Dover: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:615;Page:10925] 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS (Minister of State) 
: 
 A te wahanga tuatahi kua homaingia ki ahau mo tenei wa o te Whare Paremata na te mea koia nei tenei te wahanga tuatahi hei tutanga hei korero maku a kei te mihi atu ki a koe kei te Kaikorero o te Whare Mr Assistant Speaker.Kei te mihi whanui hoki katoa ki nga mema katoa o te Whare Paremata. Ko te tumanako kia pai te tau hou kei te haere mai.No reira huri ana tena koutou a kia ora mai ano tatou koutou. 
Mr Assistant Speaker I was acknowledging you in the new year and the aspirations of members of Parliament for the coming year. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt the member but the translator is in the House and I wonder whether he would mind translating what Mr Samuels was saying. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Clem Simich) 
: No I think members are well aware that members can translate for themselves and this member is well capable of that. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: If the member wants to ask the translator to translate what I have said kei te pai as far as I am concerned. Perhaps she will listen very carefully if it is repeated a second time. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Clem Simich) 
: No it has been translated. I do not think the honourable member should have been interrupted. He translated it into English. I am satisfied with that. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. It is always a privilege to stand in this House and to speak in support of the Prime Minister’s statement to the Parliament outlining the Government’s legislative policy programmes for the coming year. However I just want to share with members of this House an interesting observation I made during the dinner break because I think all members recognise and acknowledge that tonight there is a celebration of the Year of the Monkey for the Chinese community. I made an interesting observation because when the Prime Minister made the announcement that the Government was putting together a package of reconciliation with the Chinese community of $5 million it was not an apparition that I saw clapping and in fact supporting the reconciliation package for the Chinese people of New Zealand. 
On my right was standing the deputy leader of the National Party and he was giving a pakipaki—applause. I had to look twice because I had to convince myself that it was not an apparition. I had to convince myself that this was the member on the other side of the House who was saying something different earlier on today. I could be mistaken but at this time I am sure it was Gerry Brownlee. 
The Prime Minister concluded her address to Parliament yesterday by telling this nation that the Government’s mission is clear. I want to quote the last paragraph of her speech so that our people who are listening will be quite clear on the intention in the programme of this Labour-led Government. She said: “Our mission is clear: we want to build a New Zealand that offers equal opportunity a fair go and security for all our people. We want to unite not divide. We want New Zealanders to take pride in all our country’s achievements—economic social and be creative. We want our country to be well respected internationally. In short we want to make a difference for the better. We know that being in Government is a privilege not a right and that we must earn that privilege every day. We look forward to another year of engaging with New Zealanders across our communities industries and regions and of working in partnership with them to make a difference for the better.” 
Then I listened to the National Party Opposition and the ACT Opposition. I listened to their mission statement. It is all so very clear to the people of this country and to the Maori nation. Their mission is to divide our people. Therein lies the fundamental difference between this Labour-led Government and a National-ACT coalition. This Government’s programme for 2004 is to build and progress policies that provide a better way of life and a better future for all New Zealanders in Aotearoa. I want to give an example to the members of this House and I also want to give an example to my colleagues in Te Tai Tokerau in Northland. The  
Northland Advocate 
 a paper that is not generally known to support the Labour Party at the end of last year— 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Why are you closing those schools? 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: I am going to ring my cousin Denese and tell her to turn the radio on. At the end of last year an editorial in the  
Northern Advocate 
 stated: “Grabbing fair share of prosperity for Northland. Good news for Maori good news for New Zealand.” I shall quote from the  
Northern Advocate 
. It is virtually a Tory paper. Even my colleague Brian Donnelly agrees with it. “Grabbing our fair share of prosperity. At least 800 more Northlanders are now in full-time employment than they were 12 months ago. Finally this region is enjoying the sort of robust economic growth that has too often bypassed Northland. Today we show what this economic growth means at a human level. Many who have spent years on the unemployment benefit are now finding sustainable full-time jobs.” Those statements are from the  
Northern Advocate 
 the Tory paper in Whangarei. “Rarely in the last three decades has the country as a whole enjoyed such a period of sustained steady growth. There has been an extraordinary period when a whole range of economic factors have fallen into place to such an extent that the economy has withstood shell shocks such as the aftermath of September 11 and the second Iraq war relatively well.” 
That is not Labour Party propaganda. It is the  
Northern Advocate 
 in Whangarei. The only thing I am concerned about is that it did not write it in Maori so I could present it to the Hon Don Brash. The good news goes on and on: “This summer at least Northland businesses catering to the tourist trade have every reason to be optimistic. Already we have had the first of several cruise ships visiting the Bay of Islands and strong growth in tourism numbers are predicted. Jobs in this region have been created in the building and constructing industries. Large numbers of people are reportedly being placed in the retail sector. All this is good news for people like Steven Cameron and others who for too long have been unable to find sustainable employment. At last Northland stands to enjoy its fair share of economic growth and prosperity that flows from that.” 
One hundred and twenty thousand new jobs—cop that good news—have been created since Labour became the Government and 2300 more Maori have been employed. How is that? Do I hear anything from the Opposition? I ask Simon “Horsepower” to give us a little bit of encouragement here. Maori employment is down and that is good news. 
Much has been said about Waitangi Day and the Te Tii Marae. Along with the Prime Minister and other parliamentary colleagues I too attended. The behaviour abuse and intimidation of manuhiri and visitors by a minority of extremists was regrettable. On behalf of Ngapuhi and Te Tai Tokerau I apologise to members of this House and the manuhiri who attended at Te Tii Marae. 
That behaviour is contrary to Ngapuhi kawa. It is contrary to Maori kawa. However I also experienced a good and positive side. We were proud to go on the waka with Hector Busby to look at all our kaihoe doing the haka and performing on the beach. Hundreds and hundreds of New Zealanders were swelling with pride and applauding those young people. 
I want members of this House to look at the plaques around this Chamber and to remember and reflect on the New Zealanders who went to war and died for us both Maori and Pakeha standing side by side. They spilt their blood on foreign lands for us so that we can be free of oppression and divisiveness and so that this nation can be united. Members should hold on to those memories when they look around the plaques for Gallipoli Egypt and Palestine of the love our forebears had for our country when they went over there willing to make the greatest sacrifice in the world and that is their lives. 
When people want to introduce some policies that will divide this nation then I humbly ask them to think again. Maoridom will not go away. Our roots are in this land. We are here to stay. All the Maori nation is asking for is consideration and equality. If one looks at what happened some of our New Zealanders won the Victoria Cross. When one went down the other picked him up and carried him wounded. That is the spirit of New Zealand and I hope that as this debate continues that spirit will overwhelm us. I ask all members of this House to look around and reflect upon the bravery of our soldiers men and women Maori and Pakeha who went overseas and sacrificed their lives for us and for people in this Chamber.