Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:609;Page:6330] 
1. Hon ROGER SOWRY (Deputy Leader—NZ National) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Does he have confidence in the chief executive of Te Puni Kokiri; if not why not? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 In general yes but there have been some areas of Te Puni Kokiri’s performance that will be the subject of a State Services Commissioner’s review. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: What specific concerns about his chief executive or Te Puni Kokiri has he expressed to the State Services Commissioner as part of the commissioner’s review of chief executive officers’ performance or at any other time and when were these concerns expressed? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is between me and the State Services Commissioner at this time. 
Mahara Okeroa 
: What will the State Services Commissioner’s review cover? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is a matter for the State Services Commissioner but I understand that the terms of reference for the review are currently being developed and will include ministerial support the monitoring of Crown entities including Te MangaiPaho and the general capability and performance of Te Puni Kokiri. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: In light of the Minister’s answer to the substantive question how many of his replies to questions in Parliament have been corrected and who does he hold responsible for his answers being wrong? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The person who wrote the question—who wrote the answer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That was the second part of the question. There was a first part to the question about how many answers. Could the member please repeat the question. The first part was not answered. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: My question was: in the light of his answers to the substantive question how many of his replies to questions in Parliament have had to be corrected and who does he hold responsible for his answers being wrong? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I asked the member to ask the first part of the question. That was all I asked and all he had to do. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: As I said earlier on I have tabled 13 answers to incorrect questions made. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: What specific concerns have been expressed to him or to the chief executive of Te Puni Kokiri by his Cabinet colleagues or other chief executives about the performance of Te Puni Kokiri and what specific action has been taken as a result? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: It is between my colleagues and myself and especially between me and the State Services Commissioner at this stage. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: Perhaps the Minister could tell the House then what are the “systemic issues within Te Puni Kokiri that need looking at” as indicated by the State Services Minister earlier this week? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is something that will be undertaken in the State Services Commissioner’s review. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. During his answer to the primary question the Minister of Maori Affairs said that it was my fault for having written the questions that his answers were wrong. I took offence and I would ask him to withdraw. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member corrected that. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. He did not correct that. 
Government Member 
: He did. 
Rodney Hide 
: Well they can interrupt my point of order as much as they like— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I took advice on this matter and it was exactly what I recollected. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I just want to point out again an issue that was raised with you last week which was to do with the practice of Ministers answering a supplementary question—usually the second supplementary question which is asked by the primary questioner—with a very bland answer only to have a similar question come from a Government member in this case Mahara Okeroa with the Minister then giving an answer that would be a complete answer for the first supplementary question effectively wasting questions available to the Opposition. It raises the question that if we are to have a question time where there are a limited number of supplementary questions offered to each party and we have to choose how we use them it would be unfortunate if the practice of the Chair became such that it allowed Ministers to abuse the answering process to take up the Opposition’s time. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: If that were so that would not be in order; but it was not the case here.