10. Question No. 10—Māori DevelopmentHon PEENI HENARE (Labour) to the Minister for Māori DevelopmentQuestion No. 10—Māori Development10. Hon PEENI HENARE (Labour) to the Minister for Māori Development: What reports if any has he seen regarding his support for cuts to Matariki funding by 45 percent in Budget '24?Hon SHANE JONES (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries) on behalf of the Minister for Māori Development: On behalf of the Minister for Māori Development I can advise that he has not seen any reports regarding his support for such cuts given that the appropriation in which Matariki funding sits is with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. But on the matter of cuts I would say that what should have been cut was the bubble and squeak from the young man from Ngāti Toa who I thought did a gross disservice last night in this Parliament lecturing Matua about Matariki. Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Point of order Mr Speaker. I cannot let that go. It was well out of order. It was gratuitous and it's what we expect—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Just a moment! Points of order are heard in silence.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: That was entirely gratuitous wildly out of order and simply disorderly and I simply can't let that go. SPEAKER: Well I'm sure that you can't let it go; I've got to decide what to do with it. So what is your petition?Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Mr Speaker I would request that you take action in respect of that kind of gratuitous and outrageous swipe.SPEAKER: Yes I think it would be appropriate to withdraw that comment.Hon SHANE JONES: Mr Speaker I withdraw that remark but I'll be back to see you in your office.SPEAKER: Lock the doors!Hon Dr Duncan Webb: If he won't apologise throw him out. Get rid of him.SPEAKER: I'm sorry I'm hearing from my left the comment that there should have been an apology. There's no apology necessary. There was no offensive remark made. There was a comment that was outside the strict bounds of the question answer. Simple.Hon Peeni Henare: What is the rationale for cutting much-needed funding for Matariki events when according to reports from Ministry for Culture and Heritage they have seen year-on-year increases in economic spend in the regions?Hon SHANE JONES: Matariki was created as a holiday by the last regime. This regime has inherited a straightened set of economic circumstances. Money will still be made available for Matariki but Matariki has to serve the purposes of every single New Zealander not add to the ideological fervour of younger Māori who want to dismember the Treaty.Hon Peeni Henare: What does he say to the organisers of the Matariki Pēwhairangi festival who have said and I quote Many businesses feel that it has been a slap in the face. People get angry about funding thinking it's some kind of handout but all [of] that money circulates back [into the economy]."Hon SHANE JONES: Obviously as a regional champion I'm pained by the note that Tai Tokerau might be denied money through Matariki but I would have thought that that problem was more related to the protracted time frame that it's taken to open up the Brynderwyns which fortunately opened up last night.Hon Peeni Henare: How would the Minister rate his performance in terms of delivering for Māori in Budget '24 or are Māori best advised to put their hopes in the Matariki star Hiwa-i-te-Rangi?SPEAKER: So much as the Minister believes he's got some responsibility for the material put in the question he may give an answer to the House.Hon SHANE JONES: There are a host of references and allocations that have been made specifically to Māori outcomes not the least of which is Matatini. And of course the full extent and breadth of the $1.2 billion regional growth fund will be made available next week.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Supplementary question.SPEAKER: It comes back to this side—so Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke: Kia ora. Tēnā rā koe e te Pīka. Supplementary to that question what does the Minister say to the Matariki festival organisers in Pēwhairangi who said "We were not informed this funding would not be renewed. We sent emails and tried to contact … [the ministry]. Then last week the funding page was quietly deleted."?Hon SHANE JONES: I tēnei wā kua mimiti te haere o te pūtea. Kei pōhēhē a wai rānei i roto i te hapori e pūhake ana te pūtea ahakoa Matariki ahakoa hauora ahakoa ratonga me mōhio te Whare kua mimiti haere te pūtea.[At this time the funding is drying up. Let no one in the community be mistaken that the funding is overflowing. Whether it be Matariki health or services the House should be aware that the funding is drying up.]Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister with respect to the supplementary question put by the Hon Peeni Henare how could he possibly as a Māori Minister rate himself when it is known that the kūmara never says how sweet it is and before we start posturing about Māori culture how about learning some basics about Māori culture? Hon SHANE JONES: I am a rare kūmara. And of course the tribe that the member belongs to use the word tukau. I will not boast of sweetness. You will judge me by my results. Thank you very much.SPEAKER: You may a rare kūmara; it's just we're lucky he's not tasty.Hon Peeni Henare: What list does Matariki and other Māori initiatives belong to the A list or the C list and does 'C' stand for "See you later ka kite"?Hon SHANE JONES: These matters should be dealt with in a serious manner. It has become a habit for such institutions to be trivialised misrepresented and I think that the fact the Matariki holiday is now a feature of our calendar—in the right way more Kiwis are embracing it. But I'd also remind the member that the word Matariki is in the Book of Job. It's as old as the Bible.SPEAKER: Yes and I think that answer was a confusion between the stars of Matariki and the road to Damascus."