Cosgrove Clayton: New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill — In Committee 
Cosgrove Clayton: New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:646;Page:15543] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 Mr Deputy Speaker— 
Christopher Finlayson 
: How are the real estate agents at the moment? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I can report to Mr Finlayson that the real estate agents are in great heart. Despite the squawking from the bantam hens on the other side of the Chamber I take a call to support the New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill. 
The report of the Government Administration Committee in respect of Part 2 is interesting when it comes to the views of National members—which ones we do not quite know. The C-team is here tonight and they have all pumped themselves up. It must be audition time again in the National Party because they have all pumped themselves up. The eminent barrister is here the “orange roughy” from Coromandel and Mr Ardern whom I pay my respects to. He is an excellent chair. I have been on a number of select committees with Mr Ardern and I think he is a fine chair. 
National members have pumped themselves up to come down to the Chamber for a big audition to oppose I am told the New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill. What an absolute ripper that is for the National Party to get all that testosterone burnt off on a bill and come down to the Chamber to oppose it. How could National members oppose it? They have worked out a way to try to do that. Under the heading “Views of National members” the report states: “National members recognise the role of the New Zealand Geographic Board under the existing legislation. There appears nothing wrong with the way the current legislation is operating and accordingly National members see no need for change.” That is interesting. 
Mr Key is on the record on this issue. The slippery Leader of the Opposition has had the axle grease out around this. First he attacked clause 24 because he claimed it was too bureaucratic. Then “Old Slippery” got the axle grease out and the grease gun pumped away and he put it around the bill. Then he attacked it because it was not bureaucratic enough. The bill streamlines some of the decision-making processes and allows the board to get involved and accordingly take care of a number of the naming processes. I would have thought that that would actually cut down some of the bureaucracy but oh no all the heavy hitters of the National Party are down here tonight all steamed up and full of vim and vigour. The morale is high over there because they have all come to the Chamber to try to defeat with all the energy and might they have the New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill. 
This is Sandra Goudie’s moment in the sun in her political career. This is what she lived for got elected for and has been briefed for—judging by the amount of paper on her desk. She has led the charge of the Opposition and spent an inordinate amount of taxpayers’ money here tonight to defeat the New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill. I am sure she will go back to her constituents and say she has spent a lot of time defeating this bill. She will say: “I do not know how much it costs the taxpayers to run Parliament per hour but I’ve spent an inordinate amount of energy and time and my wages working for you the people with my National Party colleagues to defeat this major piece of legislation the New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill.” 
As we debate Part 2 it will be interesting to see those wonderful— 
Chris Tremain 
: Oh that’s right. It’s Part 2 we’re on isn’t it? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: That is right. For those who are asleep on the other side of the Chamber I say that we are debating Part 2. It will be interesting to hear the wonderful and eloquent arguments as we debate Part 2. I do take my hat off to Mr Finlayson. I know he has led the charge of briefing his members— 
Christopher Finlayson 
: Oh no. I had nothing to do with it! 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: A wise man is Mr Finlayson! As an eminent barrister he knows deep down that this is not a bad bill. This is something we should do. We should reform and change this. He is not leading the charge. He has probably provided the intellectual grunt behind the debating notes of many of his colleagues but he knows we should not be spending a lot of time trying to pump this one up. The National Party members have come down here to attack the bill and defeat it. [ 
Interruption 
] I can hear them over there. They are really excited about this bill. 
This is a streamlining bill. It has been around for a long time. It is part of a series of reforms that allows us to cut through a lot of the bureaucracy. National members say there is too much bureaucracy in our public sector but when we come to address a number of these issues what do we see that they do? They attack the legislation as “Mr Slippery Key” did and say it is not bureaucratic enough. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. Several times during that speech the member did not identify various members of the National caucus by their proper titles. In fact some of the terms have been quite derogatory. I would like you to point out to him that that is not allowed. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: Thank you for raising that. Yes the member did go down that track particularly in respect of the member for Coromandel. I do not think that is necessary. As far as the use of the word “slippery” is concerned it is something the member should bring up with Madam Speaker. I think it has been allowed. I am quite comfortable with it although the member had it round the wrong way. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am indebted to you for your advice Mr Chair and I will endeavour to use the term “slippery” in its correct fashion when referring to the Leader of the Opposition—“Slippery John Key”. I am indebted to you for your fine ruling and I would like to thank Mr Henare for his usual late-night intellectual contribution to the debate—it usually happens at about half-past 9 or 20 to 10. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. Like the member for the Maori Party Te Ururoa Flavell and like the member in the Labour Party Darien Fenton I like my surname to be pronounced correctly. It is “Henare” and not what that member tried to pronounce. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: Thank you for raising that Mr Henare. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Mr Henare has a very valid point. I think it was drawn to our attention by Mr Flavell before question time today. Mr Henare’s point would carry more weight if he had not ridiculed Robert Reich’s name in the House during a previous incarnation of Parliament and made references to that Jewish name that he refused to take advice on at that time. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Speaking to the point of order— 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: That was before he was a proper Tory. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: The member is going to interrupt on a point of order is she? That is all right. She might be able to get away with it. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: It is not all right. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Again Darren Hughes like the member for somewhere in the South Island—I cannot remember where— 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: He can’t pronounce it! 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Well there we go again. And it is “Waimakariri”. I bet my bottom dollar that that member would not be able to pronounce the name of his own electorate but that is neither here nor there. Mr Hughes does not pronounce my name properly either. My name is “Henare”. That is what it is. So if those members are going to pinprick all night about this as Mr Hughes did then we will too. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I think we all understand what is required and we can only try our best. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I again thank Mr Henare for his great intellectual contribution at 9.30 p.m. The member normally picks his moment. It is a wonderful contribution. He did not make much of a contribution— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: It’s only half-past 8 mate! Daylight saving finished last week. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Hang on he is reverting to type now. He is reverting to type which is this Porirua public bar sort of boofhead-type sport box that we have over there. He would actually do well as a bouncer in the Porirua public— 
Sandra Goudie 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I think it is about time that we stuck to the scope of the bill. It is getting just a bit wide of the mark. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I call the Hon Clayton Cosgrove to speak on Part 2. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: On Part 2 absolutely. I was talking about naming just at that point but we will leave it there. Maybe the Geographic Board referred to in Part 2 will find an interesting historic or technical name for Mr Henare. I could think of a number but it would not be appropriate to use those names in the Chamber. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I can think of one for you. It starts with “w” and ends with “r”. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I will yield to the member if he likes. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Away you go. Do you want to yield? He’s a big man now! 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am not half as big as the member. 
What this bill does is streamline bureaucratic process and I conclude on the point that National members purport to be the sort of bureaucratic busters who want to rip the insides out of the Public Service to get rid of what they term as bureaucracy which is code for front-line services yet they stand here— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Whatever pussy! 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: The member is interjecting on me with the sort of vim and vigour and energy that we have not seen from that side or from that member for many moons— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: He’s a real policy man! 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Oh yes that intellectual giant of the National Party has been in more parties than we have had hot dinners. I think he wrote to our party and asked whether he could join it. That member’s contribution—apart from the sort of silliness that we have seen in the last 5 minutes—has been to attack the New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill. 
I conclude by saying that I look forward to hearing other contributions from the C-team members over there as it is the height of their careers to come down and do an audition for the front bench and oppose attack and try to defeat which they will not Part 2 Part 1 Part 3 and Part 4 of the New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill. What a great moment. I pay credit to Mr Finlayson because he is the only member opposite who has used his judgment tonight. He knows that it is good legislation and he has decided to do some real work get on with it and do something productive rather than try to attack this very good bill. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I call the Hon “Dar-mien” O’Connor.