Prebble Richard: Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Claims Settlement Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Prebble Richard: Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Claims Settlement Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:627;Page:21888] 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (ACT) 
: 
 I rise to speak to clauses 85 and 86. I think this is a very serious matter. If the Government of the day were to pass legislation stating that Jesus Christ was the son of God we would have a riot. Members would say that we could not pass religious texts—much as any of us believe them—into the law of the land. Yet the Minister must acknowledge that that is exactly what this Government is proposing to do. For anyone who is a Christian to vote for this section of the bill is a heresy. Schedule 12 states in what will be a law of the land: “Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi emanated from the cosmogenic tree of the gods. It came by way of the legion of spirits who were not seen but heard down through the generations …”. Then there are further matters in what can only be described as a religious text. In our politically correct way I will not make a derogatory remark about those religious beliefs. All I am saying is that this is supposed to be a secular State. The Government of New Zealand does not endorse any religion yet in this bill it does. 
It just shows how politically correct we have become. If a provision in this bill stated for example that Mohammed was the prophet and if we were going to pass that into law there would be a riot. Yet here we are passing a belief that I suspect that very few Maori actually believe. But it is politically correct to put the provision in. 
As Mr Copeland pointed out to me—and Mr Murray Smith of United Future has an amendment to remove the provision—this will be the law of the land. How is a judge supposed to be able to make a ruling on it? Judges are trained in the law not in theology. What is the point of putting a provision like that in the law? It is bad lawmaking and it is contrary to the secular nature of the New Zealand State. It is an outrage that the Government has put the provision in. If the Government wants to know why it will be defeated this year I say that it is because of this sort of politically correct nonsense. It is a great shame that our media are so politically correct that they will not report the fact that the New Zealand Parliament is passing religious views and stating them in the law. That is all we are being asked to do. 
I do not claim to be a particularly good Anglican but I know enough to know that it is heresy to vote for a provision like that. No Catholic ought to vote for it and no Anglican should. Indeed no person who believes in a secular State and who believes that we should not force religious views on others should vote for that provision. What on earth was the Government doing? I will tell members what it was doing. It cares very little about people’s beliefs. Our civil servants would have said that perhaps we could save $10 million of taxpayers’ money if we were prepared to pass a piece of mumbo-jumbo—which is what the civil servants would think of it—that included that provision and that that would make everyone feel happy. 
Well this person is not happy. This is the sort of statement I do not accept. Even as a Christian if one were to start putting Christian text on to the statute book I would oppose it. It is not the Government’s job to start saying what is right or wrong in religion. That is a matter for individuals to form their own opinion on. There is no role for that sort of thing on the statute book. It is wrong. It is wrong in law it is wrong constitutionally and I suspect that every MP thinks it is theologically wrong.