Ryall Tony: Business of Select Committees — Appointments 
Ryall Tony: Business of Select Committees — Appointments 
[Volume:622;Page:18019] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay Of Plenty) 
: 
 I would like to pick up on a point that my colleague Dr Wayne Mapp made in respect of the constitutional conference. I think the one thing that came out of the constitutional conference in the Legislative Council Chamber was the fact that there is no desire amongst the people of New Zealand for the sort of constitutional change that this cabal known as a select committee will be discussing. As I travel around the country no one asks me about the constitution. No one asks me about the role of the monarchy. No one asks me about the matters that this select committee will look at. People do ask me about more incentives to work hard. They do ask me about more police. They do ask me about less red tape in the community— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: You love being wrapped up in it with red bows! 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: And they do ask me when we will have a Minister of Education who does not have a speech impediment; maybe we will have that next Monday. 
The key issue to be discussed in this review is race relations. That issue will not be solved by members of the select committee trying to say it is not important. Middle New Zealand will not be denied in respect of changing the role of the Treaty of Waitangi in the way that the Government thinks. 
Just in the last few days we have seen how the separatist views of the Government and the senior public service have impacted on Maori. Mr Hemopo from the Hawke’s Bay has been here in Wellington arguing the case that the Government’s view of the role of Maori and of the treaty is such that Maori are given extra points that keep them in jail longer. One standard of citizenship cuts both ways. Why would a Government have a policy that says: “Because you’re Maori and you answer a certain way you will get extra points to stay longer in jail.”? That is the sort of political nonsense the people of New Zealand want expunged from the public service. We want the removal of—[ 
Interruption 
] Dr Cullen says he wants that; he does not. Mr Hemopo is saying that he wants that separatism removed from the law so that Maori are not automatically assumed to be violent. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Oh come on! 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Well that is what the Department of Corrections says. “Might be minth pie time.”—is that what the Minister is saying? I say to the Minister of Education: “The fact ith thith.” We are saying that middle New Zealand will not be denied in respect of its desire to remove the treaty from the fundamental tenets of Government in New Zealand. Government in New Zealand should be built on fairness equity and treating New Zealanders the same regardless of their race. The Government is forcing on the public an agenda that is heading towards an inevitability that this country will have radical constitutional change that the people do not want. New Zealanders do not want this. New Zealanders do not want to sack the Queen. New Zealanders do not want to have the Treaty of Waitangi enshrined in our constitution any further than it is at the moment. What the Orewa speech showed is that middle New Zealand has had enough. The Government will not be able to fix that with some silly committee.