Jones Shane: Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) — First Reading 
Jones Shane: Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) — First Reading 
[Volume:642;Page:12113] 
SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
A kia ora ano tatou Mr Deputy Speaker tatou katoa e noho nei i roto i to tatou Whare i tenei ahiahi. Tena ano tatou. Greetings to you Mr Deputy Speaker and greetings to those members who are upholding the principles of parliamentary democracy by ensuring that debate travels across the House on legislation that wends its way through the House without there being a great deal of knowledge of it amongst the community. This bill reflects one of the key functions that our Parliament is required to fulfil; that is it turns its attention using its exclusive lawmaking powers to ensure that the law changes the law evolves and the law reflects the vicissitudes or the challenges of the time. 
Earlier today we heard from Mr Finlayson. I must say that when Mr Finlayson—whom I came across before I came to Parliament—stands and addresses our House I am reminded of the many orations and deliveries he gave in the High Court. There is a certain High Court quality a certain clipped quality to his delivery which reflects the man’s profession. That is permissible because we are a plurality of strengths and weaknesses in this House. 
On the question of weaknesses I have to turn to a diatribe that unfortunately came from the member from the far north from Tai Tokerau Mr Harawira. Amongst other things that the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) deals with is the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Act. I am wondering whether in correcting whatever redundancies there might be in that legislation a sample ought not to be taken from that member. He has frothed at the mouth. Spittle has been sprayed around those members who sit near him. I actually feared for their health as he stood and repeated falsehood after falsehood in relation to the document that the United Nations dealt with. I do not know quite why he was allowed to do that but given that he enjoyed that entitlement I will continue it. 
Mr Harawira seems to believe that because that particular declaration was not agreed to by the Government it will never find its way into the pages of our law—and long may that prevail. Such a document was firstly non-binding. Secondly it was 24 years in its construction as if it were conceived in some sort of dinosaur fashion and went through a dinosaur-like gestation period. When the declaration finally enjoyed a vote matters that we are proud to celebrate in New Zealand that pass for our race relations had long since moved on beyond the issues that consumed the attention of the people at the UN and the small group of Maori advocates that trooped off to the UN. 
Hone Harawira 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would just like to clarify an issue raised by Mr Jones. I am a member of the Aupouri tribe. He is the one from the diatribe. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: That is a debating matter. Thank you. 
SHANE JONES 
: I thank Mr Harawira for pointing that out. The Aupouri tribe has the senior line; the junior line is usually the one chipping in when the senior is on his feet. However I will overlook that faux pas for this period of time and I shall come back to the debate. 
 Without doubt this issue in terms of the status and place of indigenous rights in our legal landscape is an ongoing debate and one day it too will find a place on a Statutes Amendment Bill. But there will never come a time when the United Nations decision-making processes largely supported by bankrupt nations such as Zimbabwe and Libya should find the moral high ground to come to our country lecture us or lay down the huarahi the pathway that we should follow as New Zealanders deriving our own remedies. We are world leaders in terms of race relations and addressing the grievances of the past and we need no lesson from Gaddafi or Mugabe which is why I share not a sliver of doubt as to the wisdom of the choice we have taken. 
I look forward to going out next year and explaining to people that it is about time we celebrate and enjoy a sense of pride about the things we achieve in this country rather than look for a bunch of nations that hover around the United Nations to come over to colonise us in terms of telling us how we should address indigenous rights. Those nations look to us as an example throughout the world of how harmony and organic developments can take place as people come together and search for common purpose and common ground. 
As part of this Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) there is a Historic Places Act amendment. Of course the delivery that came from my whanaunga Hone Harawira will one day be treated as part of a historic place as well; it is reflective of a point in time of Maori and Pakeha history that we have moved beyond. His delivery reminds people not only of the gulf of difference when we look back or look ahead but also that we cannot seize on small relatively innocuous events such as the vote he referred to which is something that 99 percent of New Zealanders know nothing about. Really in the daily lives of New Zealanders the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is probably as relevant as the changes that have been made to the rear end of the National Parks Act the Reserves Act and the Radiocommunications Act. They are all very important parts of New Zealand’s lively economy but in the bigger scheme of things those changes are only infinitesimal steps forward just as his speech represents a biased account of a vote that is largely irrelevant to the days and lives of Aotearoa. Kia ora tatou. 
Bill read a first time.  
Bill referred to the Government Administration Committee.