Jones Shane: Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Jones Shane: Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 26 September 2012. Volume:684;Page:5716. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Chair. I rise knowing that that botanical expert could visit upon me a form of mother-in-law’s tongue a well-known weed that grows up in and around the gardens of Auckland. But I want to talk about a far more serious subject. 
Maggie Barry 
: Don’t be so prickly Shane. 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: I was relying only on the modest botanical knowledge I inherited from the Anglican Church while I was at St Stephen’s College. Then I went to the various Anglican churches around Auckland—and I must say the padre did smoke so it is actually relevant—and I recalled that line. I am not entirely sure whether that member actually spoke about that botanical pest otherwise known as the mother-in-law’s tongue but from time to time she evinces those qualities. That is reflective of how much botanical knowledge she had inversely related to some of her political contributions. Kei te pai. 
I would like to start with a small story—very instructive. I come from the very far north Ninety Mile Beach and the name of our tribe is Te Aupouri. It means the dense smoke. How it arose was that we were surrounded by some of Hone Harawira’s relations and we were a far more modest humble sort. In order for us to escape the ravages of their foul designs we lit a big fire. We waited for the smoke. It was early in the morning and it settled just above the current of the water. We managed with a level of sleekness and a sort of waka that was not a “Tupperwaka” to sneak away. 
 Unfortunately in more recent times that story—a grand story about pre-colonial times—is visited upon us as more and more of my own matuas have died with a cigarette Park Drive in the mangai one in the damn hands and one in the ear. Those images—unfortunately they were Maori Battalion returnees so it is probably not the most sensible contribution in terms of the rather romantic image we have about our matuas who went to the Maori Battalion—were a feature. 
When we went to hui because I grew up right next to the marae—my dad was a dairy farmer which may cause some of the members on the other side of the Chamber to ponder as to how I ended up where I am. Well it was truth in justice it was truth in justice—truth in justice. However part of what we contributed on the marae with our old grandmother who whangai-ed me brought me up with my parents etc.—she was born in 1892—was that we used to go and get bales of hay and spread this hay out because there were very few mattresses etc. We would spread this hay out and put out a thing called a kuta mat made out of this golden reed growing in the lakes; our whaeas used to make these mats out of it. So that was the mattress. Well I have vivid memories of these Maori Battalion returnees sitting there with their Park Drive with a small flask of whisky arguing about land. 
Unfortunately not much has changed but at least there has been an improvement. The tone has changed and the norms have changed. There is no more smoking in that particular marae. We actually have mattresses. I think they come from “The Ware-whare” otherwise known as The Warehouse. Unfortunately fewer of us actually know how to make those mats. They are one or three long-suffering individuals who from time to time have been misguided enough to support the Maori Party in the mistaken belief that its politics are going to revive our culture but that is another matter. 
So this is just another step on a long-term journey. Yes the tax is regressive and yes I have been out once or thrice with my matamua the matua of Aotearoa Tuatahi and yes I have seen him with my partner enjoying a cigarette now and again. It is free will it is everyone’s choice etc. and may they enjoy the opportunities that smoking and drinking afford them. I enjoy drinking and something else but not smoking but it is a free life and it is free will. It is free will. 
It is regressive and a lot of our Maori voters they are hoha. They are hoha that we are supporting this but we have to say to them: “It is in your best interests and please reward us appropriately when voting comes around.” So we know that there are occasional difficulties. I think it is inevitable that the flinty rather mean-spirited side of the Chamber—that side of the Chamber—will remind us that this is about tax and revenue but it is how it is applied. I would actually like to see a hypothecation model—a rather sensible word brought to the fore by Annette King as she reformed our transport policy which is currently being squandered by that side of the Chamber. So this revenue is dedicated to working with young parents. In our world in Te Ao Maori unfortunately a young parent of 16 17 18 or 19 in “Strugglers’ Gully” is often very stressed so the challenge that Treasury—