Finlayson Christopher: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 11 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5608. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I want to take a call on Vote Treaty Negotiations and thank the previous speaker Nanaia Mahuta for her helpful comments on the post settlements commitments unit. She raised some very interesting issues. I agree with her that early engagement particularly with local government provides opportunities and also enables issues to be clarified at an early stage and that is exactly what I want to do on the harbours negotiations that are coming up. I also want to pay tribute to the Office of Treaty Settlements for its excellent work over the past 12 months. It is a very dedicated bunch of people and I am very proud to work with them. Some of them also act as Treaty negotiators. So for example the deeds of settlement for Ngāti Hauā and Heretaunga Tamatea were negotiated in-house and that is my plan with Ngāpuhi as well.But I do want to say something about the money expended on external Treaty negotiators because of what I think was a vulgar crude and intemperate attack on them by the Rt Hon Mr Peters earlier in the day when he said that the fees were colossal and somewhat bizarrely said that I was giving jobs to my mates. I am very fond of both Paul Swain and Rick Barker but I do not know that they would want to be called my mates. Unlike that honourable member I do have great respect for them.I asked Mr Swain some years ago whether he would like to work with me on the Ngati Porou matter and he did such a very good job that I asked him whether he would work on some others. So in recent times Paul Swain has negotiated the Taranaki settlement which will hopefully be signed in September; Mana Ahuriri; Ngāti Hineuru which we are going to debate for the first time tomorrow; and Maungaharuru-Tangitū. Mr Swain is an excellent negotiator and if anything I do not think he charges enough. I have huge respect for him.Hon Clayton Cosgrove: We’ll tell him that.Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Well you tell him but do not tell him too loudly. The second person that Mr Peters insulted was Mr Barker. I approached him after he left Parliament in 2011 and asked whether he would like to do a few negotiations for me and he is doing a great job—for example Te Ātiawa and Ngāruahine which we are debating for the first time tomorrow. So I am very happy to say that these external negotiators are very good value for money are providing excellent service and are achieving results.I say to New Zealand First members that their tendency to personalise things and attack the individual as they have done with my Treaty negotiators is something I resent and something I think is quite simply disgusting. As I said this afternoon to a journalist Mr Peters is nothing more than the Donald Trump of New Zealand politics who wants nothing more than a cheap headline. These people are good people and I am very proud of the work they are doing regardless of party and regardless of background.Another person that the right honourable member attacked this afternoon was John Wood. John Wood who is the chancellor of Canterbury University and has been doing an excellent job there was twice our ambassador in Washington and is an outstanding public servant who has negotiated two extremely difficult Treaty negotiations and done phenomenally well. I refer to his negotiation with Tūhoe and his landmark negotiation in respect of the Whanganui River.These are the sorts of people I have had working with me over the years regardless of party and regardless of background. They are dedicated to achieving just and durable settlements for the benefit of New Zealand and if the New Zealand First speaker Pita Paraone—who obviously wants to stand up next for his penny’s worth—has any decency he will apologise to those people because his leader’s statements were unfair and were simply disgusting.The final point I want to make is in relation to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act reform because I do think that the Hon Nanaia Mahuta was a little unfair on that issue. This is the first comprehensive rewrite of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act for well over a generation. The 1993 Act was never really fit for purpose and so what we are seeking to do is take a fresh look at it. There has been an exposure draft put out to enable proper discussion. There are lots of issues and we make no apologies for the fact that there is a lot of work to be done there polishing the jewel so that everyone benefits from the reform.