Quinn Paul: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee 
Quinn Paul: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:655;Page:5043] 
PAUL QUINN (National) 
: 
 It gives me pleasure to take a couple of calls on this part as is my intention to do. In standing to speak this first time I will firstly say how much pleasure it gives me to be able to speak specifically on this bill that Parliament has before it because it relates to Treaty of Waitangi settlements. The reason it gives me such pleasure one of the reasons as my friend Ross Robertson would say that I now stand on my hind legs and the principal reason I came to this House is that I wanted to see the work of Treaty settlements progressed much more rapidly than was occurring. Although it is not a time to criticise I think it cannot go unstated particularly when a previous speaker used terms such as “extraordinary” and said how long it has taken for the bill to get to this stage that in fact it was her own Government that took the time and two Ministers of the Crown in charge of this work programme who achieved nothing. For 8 years not one original piece of Treaty work came before this House under the previous administration. That is an indictment on the previous Government. I tell Sue Moroney that that is true. It was 8 years before an original piece of work came before the House. 
Sue Moroney 
: You don’t understand the process. 
PAUL QUINN 
: I do; I have been involved in it for 30 years let me tell the member. That is why I stand here because I am passionate about this process and I know it backwards. I know the process a heck of a lot more than that member ever will. It is very important that this nation gets on with settling these Treaty claims. That is why I now stand proud to be able to push through this work because as previous speakers have said it is critical. It reflects well on the Minister that he has brought focus to this work and this bill is an example of that focus. He has set the target of 2014 to settle Treaty settlements. The select committee has shown the spirit of cooperation and camaraderie that others have mentioned. I say to my cousin over there Mita Ririnui that what happens on the bus stays on the bus. We should remember these things. But other than that slight slip-up the Maori Affairs Committee is an excellent select committee and it has done excellent work on this bill. 
In my view the reason that the select committee has done well in its work on this particular bill and other Treaty settlement bills that it will no doubt address is that we are there for one purpose and one purpose only which is to work for the betterment of our people. We are at one in that process; we are at one in that view; we are at one in that belief. It is a very important driver of all members of the select committee that that is what they are focused on. It is a lesson that other select committees that I have had the experience of serving on could learn from. Under the chairmanship of the Hon Tau Henare that work is progressing well. 
Some aspects of this bill have been addressed specifically and we will come to that in other parts but Part 1 deals specifically with the purpose of the bill. As I said last night during the second reading the claimant group Port Nicholson Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika is to be congratulated on the commitment and leadership it has shown particularly the kaumatua and others in driving this bill through and looking forward to building their iwi’s economic base which this bill will provide.