Prasad Rajen: Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePrasad Rajen: Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 24 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13676. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour): I am pleased to take a brief call on the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill. But first I simply say that I am not an expert in this area at all—before the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage starts to pillory me as he often does. But if he does he will get it back double I promise him.Hon Members: Oh!Dr RAJEN PRASAD: If he does that is a promise Minister. But I am prepared to wear my colours on my sleeve. I know very little about the various art forms the performing arts etc. I do know what I like and sometimes I cannot even explain why but at least I like it and I appreciate it and I go to see it or buy it etc. I do not know a great deal about the arts. I am happy to bow to the superior knowledge of the Minister and of my two colleagues here as well who have spoken eloquently about what is wrong with this bill.But what I do know something about is what is happening to New Zealand society—Hon Judith Collins: Oh God.Dr RAJEN PRASAD: I do and if the member opposite does not appreciate that I am surprised. I want to make most of my comments on clause 10. I do know that our society is diversifying. It is diversifying at a rate of knots. It started quite early but since the mid-1980s this has grown to the enormous proportions at the moment where it touches every aspect of our lives particularly in the larger cities. I am sure the Minister is aware of that. The various forms of the arts are very critical to our vibrant communities our ethnic communities etc. This is not a small community now. It numbers half a million people so it is a sizable community in New Zealand. What they have brought with them is a whole range of different art forms.The concern I have is that there is nothing in clause 10 that addresses their representation in the new structure—the so-called streamlined structure that the Minister is organising here. That is a source of disappointment and I do not know what the explanation is. Maybe what is contained in Part 2 actually addresses that but I do not think it does it well enough. Why is it that no attention has been paid and no appreciation given under clause 10 to the experts in our new communities—not just Chinese and Indian but many others as well—and their inclusion as members of the Arts Council? To do so would have even this late in the piece demonstrated an appreciation that our ethnic communities and the diversity that is now New Zealand and its pluralism actually do also come out through the various art forms. It is there for us to see. So it is a source of disappointment that that representation has not been included.A former colleague of mine Dr Ashraf Choudhary when he was in the House did purport to provide advice to the Minister by issuing a press statement in 2010 about this particular matter and that at least there was a need to pay attention to this because it was an omission. Melissa Lee retorted that this bill is not about ethnicity. It is not about ethnicity—that was the retort. Well actually it is about New Zealand’s diversity. That diversity comes through and is celebrated every day in our communities through the various art forms of our respective ethnic communities. It is a disappointment I say to the Minister that this is missing. Maybe the Minister would like to take a call and explain why that has happened.Grant Robertson: Don’t encourage him.Dr RAJEN PRASAD: Well if the Minister can give a straight answer without kind of having a go at anybody on this side—Grant Robertson: No not possible.Dr RAJEN PRASAD: No it is not possible. I do notice that the Minister cannot take lots of criticism—only he gives a hang of a lot of criticism. So there is that. It is a personality flaw I am sure. But sometimes the arts can provide a cure for those particular flaws. Maybe the Minister might take—