Wong Pansy: Maori Fisheries Bill — In Committee 
Wong Pansy: Maori Fisheries Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:620;Page:15647] 
PANSY WONG (National) 
: 
 I believe that instead of having the title “Maori Fisheries Bill” this bill should be known as the “Maori Fisheries Interim Bill”. The incoming Minister of Fisheries Phil Heatley has made a commitment—and he will carry it out—to bring to the House next year the six major amendments necessary to give credibility to this interim bill and to pay due respect to the Maori community. Why do I say that? The sentiment behind this bill and the bureaucracy in it are quite an insult to the Maori community. No other group would be subject to such a bureaucratic process when selecting or appointing its board members and no other people in New Zealand would be told that their identity and affiliation would be decided by the court. No corporation in New Zealand would be restricted by the Government from disposing of its assets in a commercial manner that would be beneficial to its members. That is a very serious issue that I want to raise. 
As far as I can remember the Minister David Benson-Pope has taken only one call today. That was his response to the questions raised by the Opposition parties as to why the Maori authorities are to be subject to such a bureaucratic appointments process. He told the Committee that that is what the Maori community wants. In terms of the way that the Minister delivered that answer he was basically saying that had it been left to him to exercise leadership he would not have done that but it has been done because the Maori community wanted it. I challenge that because the Maori community like any other community in New Zealand simply does not speak with one voice. Maori are entitled to have their individual persona and to make their individual decisions. The fact is that they are compromising themselves because they do not believe they will get the option of championing the best way forward. Therefore they are making a compromise. 
The minority Labour Government claims all the time that it is exercising leadership and making the right decisions but once again when facing a difficult issue it is taking the easy way out. It either refers difficult decisions to the courts and then accuses the courts of not carrying out the intention of the Parliament but without having given the courts clear guidelines or it tends to say that its decision is what the community wants. I would say those are selective statements that are intended to get the minority Labour Government out of making difficult decisions. A credible Government would exercise leadership by adopting the right criteria which in this case would mean that if one establishes or allows a commercial enterprise to be established then that enterprise should be subject to no more and no less control or requirement than what is best practice in the commercial sector. But the Maori organisations are not to be trusted to make the right decision. I have always said that when people talk about the business acumen of a Maori community or organisation they tend not to refer to for example the NgaiTahu situation. What about Whale Watch Kaikoura and such enterprises?