Harawira Hone: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Harawira Hone: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
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HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 This past week we have dealt with the issue of justice in the various bills that have come before us—in relation to legal services and access to justice in the Supreme Court as well as to justice for workers on probation. Today we come to the second reading of the Land Transport Amendment Bill and again we return to the call for justice. That call for justice arose when the Land Transport Amendment Act 2005 came into force and basically put a whole stash of bus and taxi drivers out of work. Up and down the country drivers told us about the stigma they were confronted with as the Act kicked in and the pain of unemployment and humiliation that they were facing. Yes like many others we had to ask why we were continuing to punish people for crimes they had paid for long ago. 
The original Act was overly restrictive in dictating the rights of former offenders to keep their jobs in the bus and taxi industries. The Minister presented a bill to give those citizens the right to get their licences back and the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee also came back with a report. The Maori Party was disappointed that the committee chose to reduce exemptions only for those with minor sex offences while leaving those with records of imprisonment for violence out in the cold. The Maori Party has often spoken in this House against violence but also it is always willing to look for good in people. It is with that in mind that we come to the two amendments being put forward today. 
We have concerns about drivers who will not be able to apply for a passenger licence particularly because of the restrictions around the cut-off time frame and the restrictions around violence. We support the amendment of Jim Anderton to allow people both inside and outside the industry to apply for an exemption but we would be more flexible about the length of cut-off time in relation to imprisonment because people jailed under the Crimes Act of 1961 will still be denied by this legislation. We will also support the amendment put forward by Harry Duynhoven to help those drivers most affected because both amendments are consistent with Maori Party philosophy. 
The Maori Party wants to enhance the mana of all people by promoting a system based more on justice that heals than justice that hammers. We support systems where restorative justice is given greater value because restorative justice is a key element in a fair and just society and a key element in Maori judicial practice as well. We believe there is always room for hope to believe the best in people and to reward those who through their actions seek another chance. Ours is a focus on healing rather than conflict; a focus on reconciliation rather than retribution. 
I started this speech today by reminding the House of the need to focus on justice and today I remind us of matters of justice other than this issue. Where is the justice for those families who went hungry while the breadwinner was out of work and where indeed is the justice for the original victims of the offences? How are their voices to be heard? The Maori Party supports both the bill and the two amendments being heard today in the interests of those people who have been unfairly treated by the original legislation. We support the families who have suffered and who will receive no redress or compensation. We support the principle of restorative justice. 
The great Dr Martin Luther King once said: “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is always: what are you doing for others?”. Thankfully today we will all be able to do something for people who have already paid for their crimes and who need not be punished again. I wish us the strength and the wisdom to make the right choice.