McCully Murray: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
McCully Murray: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:4065] 
4.  
Hon MURRAY McCULLY (NZ National—East Coast Bays) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Justice 
: Does she retain full confidence in the Race Relations Commissioner Mr Joris de Bres; if so why? 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Justice) 
 on behalf of the 
 Associate Minister of Justice 
: Yes he has an important job to do and the ability to do it. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: Does she endorse today’s reported statement made by the Race Relations Commissioner that private businesses should adopt Maori names on the basis that: “It’s good for their branding.”; “It’s good for the image of the country.”; and “It’s a win-win type of thing.”; if so why? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The Race Relations Commissioner was not attempting in any way to instruct or tell the private sector what to do. He was expressing an opinion and I am somewhat curious that the member finds that “politically correct” as he says in his press statement given that he was part of a Government Cabinet in 1999 that gave this directive: “Government departments to develop a Maori language policy and plan appropriate to their business by 1 July 2000.” 
Dianne Yates 
: What are the major activities carried out by the Race Relations Commissioner and why are they important? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The major activities of the commissioner and the commission are to promote good race relations and to ensure that New Zealanders have a mechanism to get redress when they suffer from discrimination. I believe that the commissioner has been active in doing this—working with schools local government bodies community and service groups Maori and ethnic groups and in the wider community. As is obvious from conflicts right around the world it is very important for stability and peace that we do have someone promoting racial harmony and tolerance. 
Dail Jones 
: Can the Minister assure the House that the Race Relations Commissioner is aware that those are his responsibilities and that he ought to stick to them rather than giving advice about the Taliban how businesses should run their businesses and the names given to them? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: I am sure the Race Relations Commissioner is aware of the responsibilities he has. The member would be quite wrong to judge a single comment which was an opinion and not one that I find offensive about having duality of names. After all every Government department was instructed by the National and New Zealand First coalition Government to have a Maori name. I do not see why he thinks there is something wrong with the commissioner’s statement now. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There goes a classic example of disinformation from this Minister. He knows full well when the Inland Revenue Department got a Maori name and all the rest were given Maori names—when he was a junior Minister in the Lange Government. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: First of all that is a debating matter and I suggest we need to start coming down much harder on the issue of people raising points of order with regard to debating matters. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am not having anyone making a comment when there is a point of order. This is a final warning Mr Brownlee. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: That point of order was a debating matter and a matter that is in contention. One could respond tit for tat in that respect all the way through. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member is absolutely correct. That was a debating matter and nothing more. 
Marc Alexander 
: Can the Minister advise us of any other jaw-dropping initiatives that we can expect from the Race Relations Commissioner to foster better race relations and can we now expect him to lead by example and change his name to “Hone” de Bres? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: As I indicated to the House before the Race Relations Commissioner is dealing with a number of very important initiatives. The member should not overlook the significance of initiatives to promote racial harmony and tolerance which are vital to our community because of a single comment or expression of opinion—something that any individual in New Zealand is entitled to make. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: Does the Minister endorse the actions of the Race Relations Commissioner and his colleagues at the Human Rights Commission in continuing to delay a determination of my complaint over the commissioner’s Taliban speech while the commission’s lawyers work overtime to develop a case for immunity on the part of that commissioner from the very legislation that he attempts to enforce on other New Zealanders? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: I do not have information on the subject matter as I am answering on behalf of another Minister but if the member wants to put down that question I will get an answer for him.