Jones Shane: Governor-General Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Jones Shane: Governor-General Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:668;Page:14798] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 Kia ora ano tatou. It is a pleasure to stand and comment on the Governor-General Bill and to follow my colleague who has developed a sudden interest in ensuring that equity is applied to this role. We heard a very impoverished view from a colleague in the Green Party in contrast to an almost groupie-like speech from the member for Auckland Central with her sudden-found enthusiasm for the Governor-General and the trappings associated with that role. The level of enthusiasm heard from her was inversely related to the subject matter. 
However I direct our attention to clause 5 “Salary of Governor-General”. I hope we will hear a response or perhaps witness a contribution—lucid coherent and inversely related to the man’s name—from Minister Heatley the Minister in the chair about what exactly the Remuneration Authority will do and what criteria it will follow in composing a suitable salary package for that august individual the Governor-General. The Remuneration Authority will quantify the salary and allowance. I will not cover the annuity at this stage. That can come later because this will be a long night and this topic is very very large deep and prodigious and it goes to the heart of our democracy. It will require I should imagine at least a 4 or 5-hour series of contributions given that our colleague the tangata whenua from Wainuiomata will be back shortly—he may be away but I am sure he will be back—to continue our contributions. 
One has to think what this person—if I can use the abbreviated term “GG”—has to put up with in order to qualify for a very handsome salary. Others have spoken about the danger faced when this individual goes overseas and whether the Remuneration Authority will take account of the epithets slurs and very very cruel remarks made not necessarily about the conduct that he might be showing in that formal role but his inherited ancestral qualities—ethnicity and other sorts of things. I think the Remuneration Authority will have to take account of the sorts of insults and deprecating behaviour that he will receive from whoever may be the Prime Minister at that point of time. The Remuneration Authority has every entitlement to take account of the kinds of hazards that this individual will have to tolerate. 
From time to time this individual—I will not say “poor” individual but I will say “overworked” individual—will have to turn up at Waitangi. I know having heard from the august member from Ikaroa-Rawhiti that members of the executive can be attacked at Waitangi. [ 
Interruption 
] The man says that his finger was bitten and he pointed perilously towards Mr Harawira—but that is another debate. The Remuneration Authority will have to take account of the fact that when the Governor-General ventures beyond the harbour bridge and closes his or her eyes in walking through the wreckage of what is currently known as the super-city—which is soon to be fixed up by us and which will receive the Royal assent of the Governor-General in good time—and goes to Te Tiriti o Waitangi grounds that man or woman will be confronted by elements associated with the Maori Party which will deserve a definite additional pay scale. Not only will the Governor-General have to deal with political perils as he or she moves closer and closer to the ever-diminishing number of Mr Harawira’s supporters— 
Hon Member 
: Relatives. 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: —his nephews; we should not talk about whanau—and in moving north have to confront them but the Remuneration Authority must take account of how the Governor-General performs the royal duties at the Te Tiriti o Waitangi grounds and upholds the honour of the Crown and does that in the face of slur attack and menace by the Prime Minister of the country as we have witnessed recently. In addition it is important that we give some thought to this person and his or her partner on remuneration matters.