Quinn Paul: Maori Purposes Bill — Procedure Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Quinn Paul: Maori Purposes Bill — Procedure Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 13 September 2011. Volume:675;Page:21260. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
PAUL QUINN (National) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Deputy Speaker. Tena koutou te Whare. The Maori Purposes Bill in many ways is considered like most of these bills to be an administrative tidy-up bill. 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Have you read it? 
PAUL QUINN 
: Just listen a little longer and find out e hoa. But in fact this bill in many ways represents the difference between that side of the House and this side of the House because the bill is much more than just an administrative tidy-up. This bill is about getting rid of paternalism and handing power back to the people. In fact it is a living document that espouses the Te Puni Kokiri mantra of Maori realising Maori potential—getting rid of the State getting rid of the paternalistic organisations that try to tell us how Maori should live their lives and allowing them to achieve their own aspirations in their way. We have only to go through three specific parts of the bill in order to realise that. 
The first one of course concerns the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora. We have heard a lot about that including speeches from Labour: the excellent contribution from my cousin Mita and to a smaller extent all the waffle from Shane. There was something in there and I think he was supporting the bill. But the surprising thing about this matter is that it took a National Government to understand that these people wanted to do it themselves and get rid of the State from their lives. So this is just the first example in the bill of taking the State out of people’s lives out of Maori communities’ lives and handing the power back. 
We then move to the amendment to the Maori Fisheries Act. I will read from the explanatory note part of the general policy statement in respect of the amendments to the Maori Fisheries Act: “This ability to transfer status and assets was not contemplated when the Act was developed”. Shane Jones was the chair of the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission when that Act was put in place. I tell members as true as I stand here that this very issue was pointed out to the commission. It was told that given the way that Labour had designed the Act Maori iwi would not be able to restructure their fisheries assets to their own advantage without going back to the chair Shane Jones. Shane wanted to stamp his mark—you know; he needed to earn his chairperson’s per diem. He needed to earn his chairperson’s commission while he was double-dipping as an MP. 
Hon Members 
: Aha! 
PAUL QUINN 
: He was double-dipping so he justified that by trying to force Ngati Awa to come and say they wanted to change their corporate structure saying: “Please please Mr Jones can I have your permission?”. That is the sort of paternalistic approach adopted and typified by members on the other side of the House. 
Of course finally the commission now that Shane has moved out of there has got rid of the oversight and actually let Maori people get on with their lives. It has finally come to the realisation that actually Maori iwi should be able to restructure their affairs internally without having to go back to the commission. So we applaud this move and fully support it. Again this change is enabled only because a National Government has shown initiative. 
There are also amendments to the Maori Trust Boards Act to enable trust boards to report to their own iwi. How long has that problem been in the Act? It has been there since 1955. How many Labour Governments have we had in that time? 
Simon Bridges 
: About two. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: No too many. 
PAUL QUINN 
: Too many. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: How long did that one have? 
PAUL QUINN 
: Labour had 9 long years. It just goes on and on. Again it has taken a National Government to empower the Maori people. 
As we can see and as I hope I have explained to the House this bill is a testament to the values set of the National Government in terms of enabling people to get on with their lives without the State interfering. It is about Maori realising Maori potential. Thank you. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Just before I call the honourable member can we use full names for titles. I know it has been happening on both sides. If you are all cousins I guess that is fine but we do have to use proper names.