Horomia Parekura: Māori Trustee Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHoromia Parekura: Māori Trustee Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 05 May 2009. Volume:654;Page:2853. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti):Part 1 of the Māori Trustee Amendment Bill is expansive and can bring into play a whole lot of discussions like those about activity. Yes Labour was in Government for 9 years and we shared 6 wonderful years with Minister Turia who was there too at that time. I am very pleased that the Minister of Māori Affairs has the courage to go forward and to really spend some time reading about the second part of this activity so we can get to the space that Kelvin Davis was talking about.I want to assure members as certain aspects of Part 1 point out that the Māori Trustee has held over a long period of time certain independence. Staff members of Te Puni Kōkiri and the Māori Trustee are to have a clear delineation and differentiation between them because the profit margin or the accumulated fund was becoming the Māori Trustee’s in isolation. Part 1 is about ensuring the independence of those staff—between Te Puni Kōkiri and the Māori Trustee. They have done a damn good job.Part 1 gasses it up a bit. I like Kelvin Davis’ paraphrasing in relation to Part 1 that we had better put a bit more speed on this so people can utilise the accumulated funds. We did that when we started the Poutama Māori Business Trust we did it when we started the Māori Education Trust and we did it when we started te kōhanga reo. We saw that those would bear benefits for most of the beneficiaries of this fund. We saw fit to do that at that time and we can still be bold and courageous enough to do things like that now.Part 1 is about restructuring. I remind the previous speaker that it is about reconfiguring the role of the Māori Trustee and that just a short period back the Ngāti Awa Trust Board was reconfigured—and he led the restructuring of it—because it was becoming antiquated and had old-fashioned practices. It has been gassed up in order to modernise it and bring it forward. That is what this bill is about. It is about trying to ensure we can get some clarity. Part 1 is about exposing relevant issues so that there is a template that people can understand in relation to the assets held by and the practices of the Māori Trustee. Those staff have done a good job. I am encouraged that the Minister of Māori Affairs will continue to appoint the Māori Trustee and I say that so he should. That is no different from what Nick Smith did with regard to the chair of the Accident Compensation Corporation. He did not take cognisance of—David Bennett: Come on!Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA: He did not take cognisance of what the participants wanted. He appointed the board members. He knocked some over and he put some back. I can assure the Committee that knowing the Minister of Māori Affairs as I do he will do a better job in ensuring that the Māori Trustee continues to ensure that Māori beneficiaries get the benefit out of this change. Additionally a lot of our people are in Australia.I was going to wax lyrical about our previous Labour Government taking 200000 children out of poverty and ensuring that our people’s minimum wage went up nine times. We never bought into the rubbish that the previous speaker was talking about. We should have this discussion this time next year and see how many Māori have been put on to the unemployment heap but members opposite do not care about that. They sip their lattes they sit in their pastel confines and they put our people into despair and despondency. This bill is imaginative. It is a forward-thinking bill. Part 1 ensures that National can have a crack at everything that is going. What is wrong with Māori getting a hand up? This is not a handout. This bill talks about Māori funds; it talks about putting them over there. [Interruption] Yes Mr Quinn let us have this discussion this time next year. Let us see where we are at.Paul Quinn: I am looking forward to it.Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA: I am looking forward to the Minister of Māori Affairs continuing to use his courage in order to get this issue sorted out. I want to make sure he refocuses on Part 2 of the original bill which ensures that Māori beneficiaries can have a say in lifting up our people in the future. I certainly applaud the Māori Affairs Committee for standing by this bill.I want to go back to the Ngāti Awa reconstruction because that trust board was reconfigured. Why? It was stepped up and modernised to ensure that beneficiaries would get the best out of it. [Interruption] That is right. I signed it off as the Minister at that time and that member led it and made sure it was OK then. So why is it that when we come to this bill National is trying to pooh-pooh it and make believe that it ain’t a good idea for Māoridom?Paul Quinn: No. We support it.Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA: It is an excellent idea for Māoridom. I am glad the member supports it.