Harawira Hone: New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Bill — Second Reading 
Harawira Hone: New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:648;Page:17274] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Tena tatou e te Whare. Hoi no i te hui a-tau o te Ropu Haina ki Aotearoa i tera tau i puta te korero a te Ahorangi a Makere Mutu kia mahi tahi te Maori me te Hainamana kia haere whakamua wa raua wawata haerenga tangata. Tu he uri no Ngati Kahu no Te Rarawa no Ngati Whatua hoki a nana te ki kua hohonu haere te whanaungatanga i waenganui i te Maori me te iwi o Haina. Ki a ia ka puta tenei whanaungatanga i te mahi kaikiri a tauiwi ki a ia “Kei te pehia 
  
kei te whakaparahakotia taua tahi.” 
Tera te piri tahi e whakaaro nei au i au e wananga ana i tenei pire ara te Pire Hokohoko Kore Utu o Aotearoa me Haina. E hangaia ana he ara kia watea ai te uru atu o nga taonga hokohoko me nga putea whakangao ki Haina; a a tona wa kia tangohia nga here utu kei runga i nga taonga o Niu Tireni me te whakawatea ano i te haere o nga kaipakihi ki Haina. I naianei kua tau mai te honore he whenua aronui a Aotearoa me ona tikanga kore here kia orite wa tatou kaiwhakarato moni ki wera ake o te ao.  
Ko te korero ka penei i te mea koia nei te oranga mo Aotearoa. Na te aha i riro i a tatou te tunga whenua aronui? Na te aha i riro i a tatou tera tunga hakoa mai ra no to matou whakaiti i a ratou i roto i nga ture me nga kaupapa hei kati kia noho-ki-waho wera e kia nei e te tuhinga tawhito ko te “taniwha kowhai”? He korero tawhito tenei kia kaua te Hainama e uru mai nei ki Niu Tireni. Ka kitea enei korero i te tatau taake i te tau 1881 e orite ana ki te utu o te Hainamana mo nga tau e wha ki te ono. Kotahi rau pauna kia haere mai ki konei kia utaina nga korero whakaparahako ki runga i a ratou nga korero he paruparu he tahumaero he tahawahawa a he whakakinotanga. I whakaritea ko te tekau ma rima anake nga Hainamana kia haere mai i runga tima i te wa kotahi. I tohua ano he whakamatautau kia mohio mai ratou i nga kupu Ingarihi kotahi rau engari i tupurangi te whiriwhiri o te kupu. Tae atu ki te tau 1920 i tohua mai te tiwhikete whakaaetanga anake ka uru mai.  
Tae atu ki te tau 1925 i tohua te Kawanatanga kia kaua te wahine e uru mai kia kore tona iwi e whakarahi atu. Tae atu ki te tau 1951 e kore taea te Hainamana kia tu hei iwi whenua a tae atu ki te tau 1965 ka taea tonu te pirihimana kia uru atu ki roto i nga whare a te Hainamana i raro i te ture Rahui i te Rongoa Whakamoe hakoa horekau he pukapuka whakaae. Ka mutu ko nga ture kaikiri kia kore ai nga toa hoko hua rakau horoi kakahu hoko kai hoki o te Hainamana e tukituki i nga toa o te Pakeha. Na i runga i tenei momo hitori kaikiri whakahawea i nga Hainamana he aha te take e tino hiakai ana tenei kawanatanga kia whakaritea i tetahi tiriti kia Haina. He aha te tikanga nei kia hurikoaro te kotahi rau tau o nga whakaiti tukinotia kia hoa tahi tatou ki a Haina? Maumahara mai ki nga kupu a Mutu: “Kei te pehia kei te whakaparahakotia taua tahi.” 
Kotahi anake te kaupapa hei tautoko i tenei pire. Kia peke ki te tuara o tenei whenua tino kaha rawa kia watea ai te iwi nui nei hei hoko taonga. Ko te wawata kia whai moni a Niu Tireni i te iwi rawa o Haina. Engari he whakaaetanga koura tenei kahore ranei? Kahore te ropu whakawa i mohio mena ka kite koe i nga korero i tae mai ki te komiti hei whakatau. 15 i tautoko 12 ki runga tonu i te taiapa 27 e kore e whakaae. Ahakoa te tini o nga yuan i te ao kore taea te whakarere ke he nui ake wera e kore whakaae ki wera i whakaae. Ka hoki mai ki tera rere ketanga o te tuunga whenua aronui i tetahi ringa ki te mahi whakahawea tangata i tera atu.  
I whakaae ake te komiti whakawa ko te tikanga a te tangata i Haina a “he nui he 
rahi ona raruraru” 
.  
I whakaae taua komiti i mohio ratou ki nga awangawanga kua korerohia mo nga mahi takahi tangata i Haina. Engari i te mutunga ki nga pati nui horekau he awangawanga. Tika ana te whakarapopoto a Unite. Ko te “FTA” nei he kaupapa mo te painga o nga kaipakihi ehara mo te painga o nga kaimahi nga whanau nga iwi kei tawahi kei te kainga ranei. Ko nga whakaaro mo ratau kei muri noa atu. E whakapono ana a Unite ko te “FTA” nei he mahi tukituki kia whakaiti te utu o nga kaimahi o konei i te whakataetae utu mo nga taonga o Haina. Na te mahi a nga kaipakihi nui i waho atu o te ture o tenei whenua ka whakaiti te mana o te kawanatanga whakahaere a-iwi rangatiratanga hoki.  
Ki ta Ahorangi Jane Kelsey ki te komiti ko te mate o te tohu whenua aronui koia ko te hinga o te rangatiratanga o te kawanatanga i a “FTA”. Ahakoa e whakahokia mai ana te mana whakahaere o nga kaupapa a-tangata ki te kawanatanga i te mea e kore te kaupapa makete e whakamana nei i a Niu Tireni engari ko te “FTA” nei kua rere ke atu ki taua whakapono.  
Kore taea e matou o Te Pati Maori te tautoko i tenei pire. He nui wa matou awangawanga mo nga mahi takahi tangata a Haina. He awangawanga hoki mo nga taonga ka utaina e Haina ki runga i a tatou. He awangawanga ta matou mo nga mahi kia ngaro. He mahi tinihanga hoki tenei kia tukua mai te pepa nei kia tirohia. Kua oti te whakarite me pehea ra te haere kua tamokohia nga pepa. Kua oma ke te hoiho he moumou taima te kati i te keti. E mara whakamutua atu. Ko te iti o te utu ko te kore e aro ki nga kaupapa whakaruru kaimahi ko te kore e manaaki i te taiao ko nga taumahatanga ka tau ki runga i o tatou kaimahi ko enei katoa nga ahuatanga e kore matou e tautokongia i tenei pire.  
Kua rongo ripoata matou e rima miriona nga tamariki i raro i te tau tekau ma rima e mahi ana mo nga haora roroa mo te utu iti noa. E rima miriona nga take nei kia kaua matou e tautoko i tenei pire. Ko nga iwi whenua e kore nei i kitea i nga Whakataetae o te Ao te tini o ratou no Tibet kua mauheretia. E kore taea te aro ake mo era momo mahi tukino.  
Me mihi atu ki nga kaipakihi Maori nga ropu a-iwi hoki e whai ana i te oranga mo o ratou ake uri kia whai whakaaro kia whai putea mo ratou. Kei a ratou tera a e mohio ana matou ka taea e ratou te whakanui i to ratou ake putea. E mohio ano hoki matou ko te tu o te kaipakihi he mea nui ki te Maori a e tautoko ano matou i taua whainga. Engari e titiro tonu ana matou ki nga taumahatanga ka tau mai ki runga i nga papakainga Maori ratou te pani me te rawakore ratou e kore e kitea i nga painga e maturuturu mai nei i nga mahi kaipakihi. E tautoko ana matou kia totika te utu mo te taonga engari e kore tautoko i te korero kia kore utu nei. E tautoko ana matou i te whakangao e whanuitia ana tona painga me te mea ano e hiahia ana matou kia kitea ko nga wahi mahi i konei i Haina hoki he wahi pai mo nga kaimahi. E kore e taea e matou te nohopuku ina maukinohia nga kaimahi i tawahi mo te painga o to tatou ao a kore hoki matou e noho pohehe ana e tiaki ana te pire nei i wa tatou kaipakihi. E hiahia ana matou kia mohio ka tu tonu te Maori hei iwi motuhake i raro i te whakaruruhau o tona Tiriti o Waitangi. Me te mohio ano hoki ka taea te pire nei ki te whakamarumaru ki te whakanui ano ra i to matou whenua me ona iwi i mua noa atu i te painga mo nga kaipakihi nunui o te ao. Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker kia ora tatou katoa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
At the annual conference of the New Zealand Chinese Association last year Professor Margaret Mutu told the hui that Maori and Chinese should work together to advance their political agendas. She stands as one of Ngati Kahu Te Rarawa and Ngati Whatua genealogy and told the conference of the significant relationship that had developed between tangata whenua and Chinese. It was in her words a relationship formed in reaction to Pakeha racism: “We are 
both oppressed and discriminated against.” It is that relationship I think of in considering the New Zealand - China Free Trade Agreement Bill. The pathway is being set for increasing access for New Zealand trade and investment in China—for the removal over time of tariffs on current exports to China from expanding the movement of business people. We are now being honoured with the treatment of a most favoured nation non-discrimination provision to ensure that our investors remain no worse off than investors of any other countries. 
It is all being painted as a major development as fundamental to the future economic well-being of Aotearoa. How did we achieve most favoured nation status? How could we achieve this based on a history of consistently passing laws against the Chinese of creating policies to restrict and exclude what the history books describe as the “yellow peril”? This is a history to keep the Chinese out of New Zealand. a history that derives its source from the 1881 poll tax which was the equivalent of between 4 and 6 years’ earning for a Chinese person at the time.  
One hundred pounds to come here to be subjected to attitudes associating Chinese people with terms like filth dirt disease contamination and degradation! L 
imits were set on the numbers of Chinese able to travel to New Zealand—a limit of only 15 Chinese passengers per ship. A reading test of 100 English words chosen at random was imposed and in 1920 entry was allowed by permit only. 
In 1925 the Government decided to exclude women from the quota in an effort to prevent reproduction. Up until 1951 the Chinese were not allowed to be naturalised; and up until 1965 under the Opium Prohibition Act police were able to enter any Chinese home without a search warrant. Finally a series of laws were passed to stop Chinese fruit shops laundries and groceries from competing against Europeans. So how is it that in a land with such a shameful history of exclusion and institutional racism against the Chinese the Government is suddenly bending over backwards to become party to a treaty with China? What has been the dramatic turn-round to reverse over a century of racism into a determination to develop ties with the region? Remember Margaret Mutu’s words: “We are both oppressed and discriminated against.”  
There is one motive for this free-trade agreement. It is about jumping on the back of an economic superpower and gaining access to the largest consumer market in the world. It is about the forlorn hope that New Zealand will make money from the wealth of a burgeoning Chinese middle class.  
But is this agreement all it is worth in gold or not? The jury is out when we look through the submissions that came into the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee. Fifteen supported it; 12 abstained and 27 opposed the deal. All the yuan in the world doesn’t change the fact that the numbers of “No” votes outnumbered the “Yes” votes. It comes back to the fundamental mismatch between being most favoured nation  
on one hand with a past that is less worthy.  
The select committee acknowledged that yes the human rights record in China has “many and substantial imperfections”. The select committee acknowledged yes they were very conscious about the legitimate concerns raised about human rights in China. But when cash came to crunch major parties did not care.  
Unite summed it up. The free-trade agreement policy is designed to serve interests of big business with the interests of workers of families the people abroad or at home who have to suffer the consequences being very much a secondary concern. Unite believes that the free-trade agreement will create competition and drive our own internal wages and work conditions down as firms struggle to compete with Chinese imports. The opportunity for big business to trade outside of Government influence or control in its effects serves to both erode democracy and economic sovereignty.  
What Professor Jane Kelsey also brought to the attention of the committee is that the most favoured nation obligations mean that each new free-trade agreement will have the domino effect of removing foreign investments further from control of Parliament. So at a time when the Government is reregulating services and resuming State ownership because the market model does not serve the national interest it is acting in quite the other direction in pursuing free-trade agreements such as this.  
The Maori Party cannot support this bill. We have ongoing concerns about China’s human rights record. We have ongoing concerns about the potential for China to dump goods on our domestic markets. We have ongoing concerns about the potential loss of jobs in our manufacturing sector. And we believe that being allowed the opportunity to scrutinise the free-trade agreement at this stage of the proceedings only after it has been signed makes the whole select committee process a farce. The cheap labour the weak health safety and environmental standards the poor protection of workers the adverse impacts that will be suffered by New Zealand workers are all reasons why we cannot support this bill.  
The reports of some 5 million Chinese children under the age of 15 lumbered with long hours for low pay are 5 million more reasons why we are voting against this bill. The dissidents being hidden out of the radar of the Olympic spotlight the hundreds of Tibetans being imprisoned the international stigma of China’s human rights issues cannot simply be ignored.  
We fully respect the right of organisations of iwi of Maori businesses to take up the opportunity to pursue their own best interests and to return dividends to Maori shareholders. That is their prerogative and we are confident that they will be very competitive and achieve impressive returns. We believe that economic growth is essential for Maori businesses to succeed and we will support them all the way. But we are also charged with looking out for the impacts on Maori communities especially those who may be least resilient and least likely to benefit from the trickle down of economic growth. We support fair trade not free trade. We seek socially responsible investment. We want to see the provision of healthy and safe working conditions both here and in China. And we cannot sit by and be silent when workers overseas may be exploited to benefit our economy or pretend that New Zealand industry and services will be protected.  
We must know that the rights of Maori will be actively protected as provided for under the Treaty of Waitangi And we need to ensure that our laws serve to protect and enhance our nation not globalist agendas. Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to us all. 
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