Mahuta Nanaia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mahuta Nanaia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:660;Page:8734] 
8. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: My question is to the real Minister of Maori Affairs and asks— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member must ask her question to the Minister of Maori Affairs as it is on the Order Paper. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA 
: What advice if any has he received from Te Puni Kokiri on the effect a rise in GST will have on the well-being of Maori families? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister) 
 on behalf of the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: The next-best thing— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is clear that the Minister of Maori Affairs cannot be present to answer the question but the Associate Minister of Maori Affairs is present and the member clearly wants to ask a Maori Minister about this— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is up to the Government as to which Minister answers when the Minister is not present. 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I am—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The question has been asked; let us hear the answer. 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I am advised that the Minister of Maori Affairs has received some advice from Te Puni Kokiri. That advice says the impact would vary from household to household depending on income and spending patterns. Of course the impact would depend entirely on what other measures were part of a tax package. 
Hon Nanaia Mahuta 
: Does the Minister support the Maori Party member’s bill to remove GST from food; if so how does he reconcile this conflict with his Government’s plan to instead increase GST across the board? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The Minister of Maori Affairs is part of a range of discussions with the Government over this and related issues. 
Hon Nanaia Mahuta 
: Does the Minister stand by his words to “argue the case for Maori”; if so what response does the Minister expect to give to Maori families who as a result of an increase in the rate of GST will struggle to put kai on the table and feed their tamariki—how is that whanau ora? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The advice to the Minister of Maori Affairs makes it clear that the impact of an increase in the GST rate would depend on what other measures are taken as part of a tax package—for instance a reduction in income taxes faced by those same Maori families. I would expect that his discussions with the Government will also include the longer-term benefits of an economy that creates more jobs and generates higher incomes. That is certainly in the interests of Maori families probably more so than for many other families. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: Does the Minister of Maori Affairs stand by his statement: “Sometimes we pass a bill and then we forget we passed it and talk against it. I have to ring the Prime Minister and say ‘Whoops’. Or he rings me.”; if so will his support for the Government to increase GST be something he votes for then talks against then tells the Prime Minister and Maori “Whoops.”? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I can say the current Minister of Maori Affairs makes his views a great deal clearer than the previous Minister of Maori Affairs used to. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I say to members that it is hard for me to hear members calling. 
Hon Nanaia Mahuta 
: Does the Minister intend to administer Whanau Ora through a newly established trust; if so why is Te Puni Kokiri not being used? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The question is a bit wide of the mark but I can tell that member that the Minister of Maori Affairs is engaged in intensive discussions with the Government over that programme. I must say there is real energy around the basic change—and vital change—in the delivery of our social services which in 10 years the previous Government talked about but never did anything about. Many families have missed out on support that they should have had and much money has been wasted that can now be used more effectively. 
Hon Nanaia Mahuta 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That clearly did not answer the question that was asked. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The dilemma I have is that the supplementary question that the member asked was a long stretch from the primary question. I did not intervene to stop the question being asked; I did not rule it out of order. But it makes it very difficult for me to then insist on the Minister giving a particular answer. It seems to me that he did give a reasonable answer to the question.