Flavell Te Ururoa: Governor-General Bill — Third Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Governor-General Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:668;Page:15146] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa. Members will be aware that there has been a lot of korero recently about entitlements the appropriate use of expenses and reimbursements related to the role of a politician. The Governor-General Bill fits within that broader context of public accountability and transparency for a prudent use of the public spend. This bill in itself as other speakers have alluded to is pretty innocent. Its purpose is to simplify the funding of the office of the Governor-General and to bring the taxation treatment of the Governor-General’s salary into line with that in other Commonwealth countries. 
This bill is a consequence of the 2007 Law Commission review of the operation and provisions of the Civil List Act 1979. The bill provides that the Governor-General must be paid a salary at a rate determined from time to time by the Remuneration Authority and that rate must not be reduced during his or her term. The bill also concludes that the Governor-General must be paid an allowance at a rate fixed from time to time for official expenses. The bill has many other aspects to it. There are provisions for compensation for superannuation rights lost during the term of being a Governor-General; for the annuity that is paid to the surviving partner of a Governor-General who has died after or during his or her term of office; and for other benefits or privileges by way of payments in respect of domestic travel and the use of chauffeured cars when a Governor-General no longer holds the office of Governor-General. 
Like the Hon David Parker I say it is important that we recognise the role of the Governor-General within the constitutional framework of Aotearoa a context that was shaped by the Declaration of Independence Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the relationship between the Crown and the Treaty partner tangata whenua. 
Ara ano atu tetahi take kua puta mai e hangai tonu ana ki a ngai Maori ara ko tera ko te tu o te tangata whenua me ki hei Kawana-Tianara mo Aotearoa. Ki ta matou e kite nei mena ka whakaturia tetahi Kawana-Tianara Maori he mea awhina tera ko te noho tahitanga o te Ao Pakeha me te Ao Maori i te mata o te whenua i Aotearoa nei. Ko te mea pai o tera momo tu ka noho he Maori me ki hei kanohi hei waha korero mo te Kuini o Ingarangi. Me maumahara ano tatau ko te Kawana-Tianara te kau ma ono o Aotearoa ko Ta Paora Reeves ko ia tera i tenei wa tonu nei ko ia anake o nga Kawana-Tianara katoa he whakapapa Maori tona a ko ia tera i whakaturia ki tera o nga turanga whakaharahara. I te wa i whakaturia a ia i te 22 o Whiringa-a-rangi i te tau 1985 e hia ke nei nga Maori i mihi nei i whakanui nei i te ahuatanga o ta Paora tu hei Kawana-Tianara mo Aotearoa. Ko Ta Hemi Henare tetahi ko tana korero e penei ana: “It must be a fruit of the Treaty of Waitangi to see a person from our people.” 
Ara koia tera te korero a Ta Hemi Henare. Ko Ta Paora he uri o roto o te hapu o Puketapu o Te Ati Awa o Taranaki a he tangata me ki i roto i nga take nui o te wa ko ia tera i kaha whakahe nei i te haerenga mai o te tima whutuporo o Wherika ki te Tonga ara ko te Springbok Tour i te tau 1981. Ko ia tera i whakaturia hei Pihopa mo Aotearoa a ka mutu ko ia tera ano hoki i haere hei tumuaki mo te Whare Wananga o te Rau Kahikatea mo te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa. 
No reira he aha te tikanga o tera korero mo Ta Paora ki tenei pire? Ka mutu ko ta matou e whakapono nei me whakaaro tatou mo tera ahuatanga o roto i tenei momo pire. 
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There is another matter that has emerged relating directly to the Maori people and that is for someone of indigenous descent to become Governor-General of New Zealand. In our view if there were to be a Maori Governor-General it would improve relations between Pakeha and Maori. The great thing about that is that a Maori would become the representative and spokesperson for the Queen of England. We must not forget that the 16th Governor-General of New Zealand was Sir Paul Reeves who remains the only person of Maori descent to have been appointed to this highly significant role. At the time of his appointment on 22 November 1985 many Maori groups welcomed the appointment with Sir James Henare saying: 
“It must be a fruit of the Treaty of Waitangi to see a person from our people.” 
So that is what Sir James Henare said. Sir Paul Reeves is a descendant of the Puketapu subtribe of Te Ati Awa of Taranaki and opposed the 1981 Springbok Tour. He was an ordained bishop later serving as dean of the St John Evangelist Theological College or the theological college of the Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa.  
So how does all this fit into this bill? In the end we believe that in a bill of this type we should take that situation into account. 
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We believe that this bill in maintaining respect for the position of the Governor-General maintains respect for the core elements of our constitutional understanding that have retained an importance in Maori consciousness. In many respects until the constitutional review is in progress the Governor-General must stand as the representative of the Queen the embodiment of the Crown. In doing that we will continue to place that role in the context of respect for the Treaty of Waitangi as the nation’s founding document and constitutional blueprint. Despite the policy and legislative changes of the last 35 years to better recognise the Treaty of Waitangi shortfalls remain that adversely affect the lives of hapu whanau and iwi. These shortfalls also affect the quality of cross-cultural relationships and the operations of society more generally. Enhancing respect for and giving better effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi will enhance the quality of life for all. 
This bill does not do any of that by a long shot of course but it is a part of the conversation that must be had as a nation. In that sense we support this bill at its third reading.