te Heuheu Georgina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
te Heuheu Georgina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:640;Page:10109] 
11.  
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: What advice if any has Te PuniKokiri provided to him on how Treaty settlements can help Maori realise their potential? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 Te PuniKokiri recognises the importance of reaching durable Treaty settlements which significantly contribute to returning economic and other resources for development and self-determination. This is the Maori Potential Approach for the betterment of iwi hapu and whanau. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: What advice did he give the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations on whether the Crown should negotiate with just NgatiWhatua and Tamaki-makau-rau to the exclusion of six other claimant groups? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I along with my ministry supported the mandating process and it is interesting to know that NgatiWhatua as a whole accepted that. 
Dave Hereora 
: What is Te PuniKokiri’s role in the Treaty settlement process? 
Simon Power 
: Did you see this one coming? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The sniggering continues. They are an uncultured lot over there. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That was unnecessary. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is the problem. They have got no culture. Te PuniKokiri advises on settlement policy claimant representation and mandate ratification and the protection mechanism. It also advises on and in some cases leads the negotiation of contemporary claims. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: What advice did he give the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations on the validity of the Crown’s approach of only negotiating with about half of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes when it was obvious—and should have been obvious to him at least—that this would cause tension and conflict? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Twenty-four thousand Te Arawa people made a decision to proceed to settlement negotiations with the Government. There was advice and ongoing connectivity with my colleague. As a former member of the Waitangi Tribunal Mrs te Heuheu should be well aware that unfortunately most settlements have at some point created raruraru—which for those uncultured people is differences—within iwi and hapu. It is something I do not think they want to admit happens in their culture: the issue of how to settle what is naturally a challenging process. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I did ask the Minister what advice he gave the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. He rambled on about what was happening in Te Arawa but he did not address that question: “What advice did he give?”. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I think he did. I do not know whether the Minister wishes to add anything but I thought he had addressed the question—that which I could hear over the comments of other members in the House. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: If Treaty settlements can play such an important role in helping Maori realised their potential why has the Minister not once complied with his non-discretionary legal obligation under section 8I of the Treaty of Waitangi Act to lay before the House an annual report on the progress being made in implementing recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The last report was tabled in 1995—in 1995! A further report for the period of 1996-97 was lodged in the Parliamentary Library but was not tabled in the House. Next month I expect to table an updated report that we have been working on for the last 6 months for the period through to 2007. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I asked the Minister why he has not complied with his non-discretionary legal obligation to report. He has gone back to years when he was not even in Parliament and commented on what happened then. He cannot have addressed the question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No he did address the question I am sorry. He addressed it in terms of what now is happening. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: Can the Minister confirm that Te PuniKokiri prepared a report for him on the Crown’s progress in implementing Waitangi Tribunal recommendations in the current financial year but that he refused to accept the report from his own ministry so that he would not have to inform the House and the people of New Zealand about the Government’s failure to implement those recommendations? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is totally incorrect. I have told that member that I am waiting for a review and if she did not hear the response before that is rubbish—utter rubbish. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Would the Minister not agree with the Waitangi Tribunal’s finding that Te Arawa is now in a state of turmoil; hapu are in contest with other hapu the preservation of tribal relations has been adversely affected and they are left fearing for the customary future of Te Arawa waka as a result; it is a very serious state of affairs and how will Te PuniKokiri help Te Arawa Maori realise their potential under such duress? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That member was there at the day of the signing with me and there was tension and he was part of that and I respect him for that as a Te Arawa person. But that is something for Te Arawa to sort out not the Government. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: Does the Minister concede that the reason he has not once complied with his compulsory statutory obligations and tabled a report is that there is no progress to report? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That member said yesterday that there were 19 settlements. There are 21—11 at the front end and 10 at the other end. The talk that is coming out of her mouth should be coming out of the other end. What a load of rubbish! 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: I seek leave to table an extract from the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 provision 8I titled “Annual Report on Implementation of Recommendations”. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: I seek leave to table a report by the Parliamentary Library showing that the Minister has never—never—tabled a report on— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: I seek leave to table a Parliamentary Library extract that shows a list of dates that negotiations started and finished. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection.