Newman Muriel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Newman Muriel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:620;Page:16083] 
1. Dr MURIEL NEWMAN (ACT) 
 to the  
Minister of Housing 
: Did he receive a letter dated 22 August 2003 from Housing New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Jordan Alexander providing a “Maori Responsiveness Update” that advised him that Housing New Zealand had developed “a new set of organisational behaviours that relate to HNZC’s values seen from a Tiriti/Treaty two-world perspective” and does he support Housing New Zealand having a two-world perspective? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Housing) 
: 
 The corporation did provide a Maori responsiveness update that noted the main element of its strategic role was to support the Crown in its Treaty of Waitangi relationship with Maori. The actions that Housing New Zealand Corporation intended to take to provide this support were to ensure that the values and behaviours of staff were informed by appropriate knowledge and training accepting that the different people the corporation works with have different ways of looking at the world based on their distinct culture traditions and beliefs. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: Can he confirm that the recruitment and promotion of Housing New Zealand staff is “Informed by a Tiriti/Treaty two-world view.” and what happens to those staff and potential staff who do not agree with Housing New Zealand’s two-world view? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The member touches of course on employment matters in relation to how the corporation hires its staff. But what I can say is that the corporation itself does not have—and I said this last week in answer to a question—a two-world view of the treaty. What is happening is that the organisation understands that its clients have different ways of looking at the world and it wants to ensure its staff understands that. That is part of the training that they apply to their staff. 
Georgina Beyer 
: What range of housing support has this Government provided to meet the diverse range of New Zealanders’ housing needs? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: There are many examples but I shall cite four: providing homes to meet the needs of elderly people through working with partnerships in the third sector like Abbeyfield; providing larger homes designed to meet the needs of Pacific people thereby helping to reduce the incidence of disease; the Rural Housing Programme to improve substantive housing and prevent children from dying in house fires like they have unfortunately in the past; and over 1400 community group homes to meet the needs of people with mental physical intellectual and other special needs. In other words the Government attempts to be responsive to different communities. 
Katherine Rich 
: On what date did he first learn that Housing New Zealand was developing a two-world view and does he accept responsibility for this two-world view? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I cannot give the exact date although I am willing to find out for the member when I might have received the first piece of paper or briefing on this matter. However I repeat to the member as I have said repeatedly in the House; the corporation does not have a two-world view of the treaty. The corporation understands that there are different views out there in the community and it ensures that its staff are aware of that as they go about doing their jobs. 
Brent Catchpole 
: Why is the Government not insisting that Housing New Zealand prioritise the housing needs of all New Zealanders regardless of ethnicity race or beliefs? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Not only do I insist on that but the corporation insists on that itself. It has a social allocation system that the member can get hold of himself and he will find that it is blind to ethnicity. 
Metiria Turei 
: So the Minister would then agree that it is perfectly reasonable—indeed critical—for Housing New Zealand to consider different cultural perspectives and world views within and in the provision of its services if Housing New Zealand is to take a needs-based approach to the housing needs of New Zealanders? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I agree that it is essential that any public service provider is aware of the fact that its clients will come from different points of view but those points of view should be understood in terms of providing a service to them. 
Deborah Coddington 
: Is the Minister aware of the induction programme for Housing New Zealand staff that begins by having new staff learn to explain what the two-world view is what its purpose is and how it can be applied to the workplace internally and externally; and can he explain what the purpose of the two-world view is? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I can explain what the purpose of the two-world view is because I have just explained it I think in answer to every single question I have been asked in the last 2 or 3 minutes. The answer is that the corporation understands that its clients have different ways of looking at the world and that they have different values and beliefs. The corporation wants to ensure that its staff understand those different views so they can provide a better service to people. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: Does the Minister accept that under the Treaty of Waitangi Maori might reasonably have expected that “the bulk of the country would still belong to the tribes which would rule themselves as they wished with some Pakeha settlers there by agreement and observing Maori law” as taught in Housing New Zealand’s training programme for staff? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: My understanding of the treaty is a little different from that. I would like the member to show me that piece of the training and I will follow it up. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does the Minister find it acceptable that taxpayers’ money has been used on Housing New Zealand’s training manual  
Kete 2 
 that requires staff to complete “30 days of affirmations and meditation” to deepen their understanding and application of Housing New Zealand’s two-world view framework? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I go back to the central point I have made a number of times. The department is attempting to ensure that its staff understand there are different ways of looking at the world. Mr Hide for example has a way of looking at the world. Very few other people look at the world that way—a shrinking number of them of course—but we respect that point of view as well. 
Gordon Copeland 
: If a person’s world view is determined by his or her cultural background and if in New Zealand we have people from say a hundred different cultural backgrounds why does Housing New Zealand have a two-world view rather than a 100-world view? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As I have said a number of times in answer to questions today the corporation does not have a two-world view of the Treaty of Waitangi. What it understands is that it has obligations—as I said in answer to the first question—as part of the apparatus of the Crown under the Treaty of Waitangi to recognise different world views. That is what it recognises. That is what it is acting on. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: Does the Minister accept that the Maori world view is equal to the Crown world view? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The Treaty of Waitangi accords status to both the Crown view and Maori in relation to the treaty. In relation to the provision of public services we are talking about people who come from different cultural backgrounds and who have different beliefs and values and they will be respected. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: I seek leave of the House to table the pre-course manual  
Kete 1 
 from Housing New Zealand. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Deborah Coddington 
: I seek leave to table a Housing New Zealand Corporation induction programme so that participants will be able to explain what the two-world view is and explain the purpose of the two-world view. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: I seek leave to table the recruitment policy and two-world view of Housing New Zealand. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Rodney Hide 
: I seek leave to table the training manual  
Kete 2 
 of Housing New Zealand which sets out the programme of 30 days of affirmations and mediation on the two-world view perspective. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: I seek leave for all of these tabled documents to be bound in one single document. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member has sought leave for that. Is there any objection? There is.