Henare Tau: Holidays Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Henare Tau: Holidays Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:668;Page:15466] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 It is me again the nemesis of those members on the Opposition side of the House. Do members know why? It is because I worked in the same area as they did. I saw what sorts of dirty tricks they got up to when they were employed. I saw with my own eyes the carry-on in those days. I saw it; I am a witness to their dirty dealings. I will take just a couple of minutes of the House’s time on the second reading of the Holidays Amendment Bill. First of all I thank my colleague Michael Woodhouse for allowing me to jump in front of him to speak. 
I want to talk about this thing called holiday and where the 4 weeks of holiday actually came from. Some members might think that it was a Labour idea. I thank my researcher for this information. Some of us would have thought that 4 weeks’ holiday was a Labour policy from way back. But lo and behold when we did our research and I have it on good authority from my researcher we found that Matt Robson brought it to the House. But it was opposed by the Labour Government. It was opposed by the Labour side. It came about only because Matt Robson forced them to do it. That is what happened. Is it not funny and interesting that we get this idea that the Labour Party is the flag bearer of workers’ rights—but it is only when it suits it? 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: What Raymond? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Absolutely! My name is Raymond not “mental”. Let us talk about what Labour members really want. 
Moana Mackey 
: Why did you have to get your researcher to research something that happened when you were in Parliament? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Actually it did not happen when I was in Parliament. There is another fallacy. I was not here when the fourth week of holidays came in; I was not here when that provision was brought in under the pressure of Matt Robson who was an Alliance member. It certainly was not supported by Labour. But I digress. All we can hear from that front bench of Labour—Darien Fenton Carol Beaumont all on the front bench; oh my God what a team— 
Darien Fenton 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am enjoying the member’s speech but I do want to bring to his attention that my name is pronounced “Daarien”. It is not pronounced “Darien”. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: Please use the appropriate and correct title. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Thank you for that enlightenment. 
Hon Member 
: Get your hand out of your pocket. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Why? Is the member jealous? The holiday is a worker’s holiday. It belongs to him or her not to the Labour Party. That holiday belongs to the workers. It is the property of the workers. It is a property right. If it is the workers’ property it should be up to the workers whether they want to trade it in or not. It is a holiday. 
Iain Lees-Galloway 
: Is this all holidays? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I ask the member not to be silly. What we get from those members is that they have not read the bill. It is not about trading in all holidays. It is about the ability to trade one holiday—one measly little week’s holiday. Labour members over there are trying to begrudge workers one small week that they own. It is their property. Those members are saying no they will not let workers trade it in because they do not think they should. Never mind what the poor person in Porirua thinks never mind what the poor person in Cannons Creek thinks—that is their holiday not the Labour Party’s holiday. Property rights are something that our party and the ACT Party have built their reputation on and we will not see— 
Iain Lees-Galloway 
: Property rights haven’t come up that often when I’ve been doorknocking. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: So workers do not have property rights? According to Iain Lees-Galloway workers do not have any property rights. That is what he said and that is what he means. It is disgusting. If any party is the defender of workers’ rights it is the National Party not the Labour Party. I commend the bill to the House.