Samuels Dover: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Samuels Dover: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:621;Page:16962] 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS (Minister of State) 
: 
 When I woke up this morning I turned on the radio and heard claptrap and rhetoric. That is what I heard this morning on  
Morning Report 
 from a party that says it represents Maori and then I heard a representative from the Green Party in and out of hallucination. She said that the members of this House did not have the courage— 
Metiria Turei 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It was difficult to hear the speaker. I am uncertain as to whether he referred to the Green Party member as “hallucinating”. If he did I take personal offence at that comment and ask that it be withdrawn and apologised for. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Yes I think that that is inappropriate. The member has taken offence. Would the Hon Dover Samuels please stand withdraw and apologise. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: I withdraw and apologise. I was just saying that the person who made those comments on  
Morning Report 
 this morning was in my view hallucinating—was somewhat under the influence. [ 
Interruption 
] I did not refer to the Green Party. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member has been called on the point of order. The Green Party member has taken offence. The member should not refer to that and insinuate the same point he made before. The member will withdraw and apologise. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I just want to get this clear. Are you telling us that now as part of the record we cannot use the word “hallucinating”—that we cannot say that another member is “dreaming” or “hallucinating”? Is this a new standard that you from the Chair are saying is unacceptable in the House? 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: No. The remark was a personal reflection on a member who took offence. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: I support the second reading of the bill and I tell the House that I have a vested interest. It may very well be that I have a conflict of interest. Why? Because I am a Maori and I belong to a hapu. In the generations of my people my tupuna at Matauri Bay Ngati Kura there was never any recognition of any right given to their takutai moana—never in generations. I have never seen representation by any other party acknowledging that Maori have customary rights that have to be accorded and given effect to in the law. I have lived there for many years and my tupuna are there. I challenge the other Maori members of the House to show me anywhere in legislation that Maori customary rights have ever been given effect to. 
Those Green Party members who walked in and out of the select committee—who spent 5 minutes there—advocate on behalf of Maoridom and know nothing at all about customary rights. They know nothing about the relationship that Maori have with their takutai moana. 
I ask the members of this House to show me any legislation passed in the history of this House going back to the whakapapa or to 1840 where a Government and a party stood tall to recognise that Maori have customary rights to their takutai moana. This is the first time in the history of this nation— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: 1996. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: It does not matter about the balderdash from that member across the other side of House who most of the time has his cellphone to his ear while talking to Don Brash and trying to justify his own existence instead of getting on with the business.  
I am proud of this Government and I am proud that this Parliament has finally moved to give recognition that whanau and hapu have customary rights over their foreshore and seabed. I say to the member opposite that this legislation finally gives me the opportunity as a member of the hapu to take my case to the Maori Land Court and to the High Court. Never before in the history of this nation have those processes been available to our people—never before. 
Along with my hapu I live by the sea. Some people would say that I have gills—not unlike my whanaunga there from Ngati Wai who lives by the sea also. I say to this House—and I think it is an important issue—that our customary rights have never been recognised in law—never! 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Of course they have. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: I ask that member: where? 
Hon Member 
: The Fisheries Bill. 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: We are talking about the foreshore and seabed. That is how those members are so far out and away from reality. 
Never before have our rights been recognised in any legislation. I will ask the other party—the “Harawira Party”—to show me where they have been. I will ask the Green Party to show me if Maori customary rights have ever been recognised in legislation. My hapu my ancestors and my elders in generations right back—generations—have never had their customary rights recognised in the law of this land. Halleluiah to David; God bless; tihei mauri ora! 
It is no matter about the old humbug and claptrap from the members of other parties—the intellectuals the know-alls—who have never lived beside the sea and who would not know what the hell the difference was between a snapper a kahawai or a tadpole. They would not understand what it was. 
I do not tell lies. I go out there and tell our people the truth and I tell them this: they can go down to their rock and they can go and dive for kinas. They can still go and pick tuatuas they can still go and get a suntan—if they want to get browner than Parekura Horomia—and they can still go out and fish for kinas. They can do anything and everything that they have done historically—nothing will change. But there is humbug and claptrap out there and those people spreading mistruths amongst our people should be ashamed of themselves. Kia ora tatou. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Well done the trained seals.