McCully Murray: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
McCully Murray: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 19 June 2003. Volume:609;Page:6421. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4.  
Hon MURRAY McCULLY (NZ National—East Coast Bays) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: What was the purpose of the briefing provided to some media by the chief executive of Te Puni Kokiri Mr Leith Comer on 30 May 2003 in relation to inconsistencies between the Treasury-led report on Te MangaiPaho and answers to parliamentary questions provided by the Minister and when was he told of plans to hold the briefing? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I am informed it was to explain the process used by Te Puni Kokiri to generate replies to oral and written questions. I was not informed in advance of the briefing. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not know whether it was the sound system or the two gentlemen here— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes I think the member has made a valid point. Would the Minister please repeat the answer. I had difficulty in hearing it too. Members will now be quiet because I have asked for that. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I am informed it was to explain the process used by Te Puni Kokiri to generate replies to oral and written questions. I was not informed in advance of the briefing. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: In the light of his advice to the House on 12 June that Mr Comer’s apology related only to question No. 2261 and that it was tendered over 6 weeks earlier on 10 April is there any explanation for Mr Comer’s briefing of selected journalists giving them the completely false impression that he had apologised for inconsistencies in ministerial answers exposed by the Treasury report other than that it was a calculated attempt to deceive those journalists; if so what is that explanation? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I am certain there was no intentional deceit. I have had a discussion with Mr Comer—end of story. 
Mahara Okeroa 
: Does the Minister of Maori Affairs have confidence in the chief executive officer Mr Leith Comer? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: In general yes but there have been some areas of Te Puni Kokiri’s performance that will be the subject of a State Services Commissioner’s review. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: What does the Minister say to those who are claiming that he is prepared to put at risk the integrity of Te Puni Kokiri’s chief executive Leith Comer to protect his own political skin and why does he not just admit he knew his replies were wrong prior to 9 June? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: There is no truth in that. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: Is the Minister aware that following Mr Comer’s briefing several media organisations wrote stories asserting that Mr Comer had taken responsibility for the inaccurate answers exposed by the Treasury report and stating that he had apologised to the Minister for those inaccuracies and that being the case does he now accept that those journalists were totally misled? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: No. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: Does the Minister know that on the day following Mr Comer’s briefing both the  
Dominion Post  
and the  
New Zealand Herald  
wrote stories as a consequence of the briefing stating that Mr Comer had taken responsibility for inaccuracies in the answers and asserting that he had apologised to the Minister; does the Minister accept that that version carried by those two media outlets is at variance with his answer to a question in this House on 12 June? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Being a qualified printer by trade and having worked in the newspaper industry for a few years I say I do not have any responsibility for what is written in those newspapers.