Kaye NikkiClauses 1 to 3Hon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central): I have Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 120 around the commencement of the provisions relating to partnership schools and I am hoping Madam Chair and this is a bit of a plea—hang on we're going to have Mr Chair who's coming in to the Chair—that this is taken very seriously. The reason that we need to take my SOP which argues the provisions around partnership schools to effectively not kick in until three months after the Wai 2770 claim has been heard—there's multiple reasons for this. The first reason is the Government talks a big game around Crown and Māori relations but at the same time and I want to go to the Minister's actions with regard to this a series of actions by the Crown have been not only arrogant and negligent—and I'd ask all members in this committee to listen to this time line because it relates to the SOP that I have. Not only from a legal perspective should we be agreeing to my SOP but from a cost perspective this claim is going to cost the Crown a lot more at the end of this because of the Crown's actions and I want to take you through them. The Crown is served by a number of iwi leaders. They are served regarding this issue of partnership schools. Multiple grounds from consultation to the impact to young Māori—a range of different issues are set out in a claim. The claim is made public. Many press releases are put out by iwi leaders. The Minister puts his head in the sand. He doesn't bother to read the press releases doesn't bother to read the claim and then extraordinarily in response to written questions from me after months of iwi leaders being out there like Sir Toby Curtis and Dame Iritana Te Rangi Tāwhiwhirangi and people like Lance O'Sullivan he claims—which creates another grievance for many of these iwi leaders—that the Crown has not been served. Now subsequent to that we all know that he admits his error and I want to acknowledge the reply that he gave to written question No. 15640. He threw Crown Law under a bus and said Well actually do you know what? Even though there are all these press releases even though the Waitangi Tribunal claim's on record"—and even though he now claims he's been getting weekly updates that monitor the claim—"I didn't believe iwi leaders that this claim was served." We now understand that Crown Law advised him of the error of advising him even though he didn't bother to do any due diligence himself which does create bad blood between iwi leaders but also a number of people who have fought for this claim in the Waitangi Tribunal. So I am asking the committee to please consider the relationship with iwi leaders and many Māori leaders who support this claim. Why are we pushing ahead with getting rid of the model when all the Minister needs to do is call them into his office have a conversation show them the respect that they deserve and also acknowledge that he made some fundamental errors instead of sending out a corrected question to myself? Then the other question that I have for the Minister is: he does say to me in parliamentary questions that he's receiving weekly updates so can he confirm for me that there has been discussion about an urgency application? I think journalists listening to the House today should be asking the questions of those iwi leaders which is what is the contact between Chris Hipkins and those iwi leaders regarding the claim. What contact has the Ministry of Education had? What contact has Crown Law had? Has Andrew Little as Minister of Justice been involved in this? Have the Crown in any shape or form—particularly given their negligence around process on these issues—bothered to contact those iwi leaders to talk about the claim? I have a very substantial SOP that asks that the provisions of the partnership schools are delayed while these basic issues of decency and process are worked through through the Waitangi Tribunal claim Wai 2770. I am asking the Minister in the chair: please this is our last opportunity as a Parliament to understand what is going on and what you are thinking around the respect and the mana of these iwi leaders. Why are you ignoring this claim? Why won't you just do the decent thing and delay those provisions until you've had an opportunity for the claimants to be heard? Why can't we do that? I don't understand why we wouldn't do the decent thing in this particular instance and give the mana and respect to those iwi leaders."