Kaye NikkiHon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central): Mr Chair thank you very much for the opportunity. The reason why I want to read out this statement from iwi leaders is it is directly relevant to my Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 120 and it does change my SOP potentially in the committee's views and I want to raise this issue with the committee.In the last sort of 15 minutes Sir Toby Curtis but other iwi leaders have issued this press release. The heading is Urgency sought for hearing to address Maori being prejudiced by the Crown's destruction of Kura Hourua Partnership Schools". Again the committee needs to remember that my SOP is arguing that these provisions should wait until consideration of the Wai 2770 claim. What the iwi leaders have done is they have watched what this Parliament is doing. They are watching us on TV. They have done that. They have realised this bill has now come to the House and it's being pushed through. They don't get informed by the Minister's office and they have gone and worked with their lawyers to—effectively while we are debating this bill—file an urgency application in the Waitangi Tribunal. So all members should be taking a call and standing up and it's good to see the Minister of Justice in the chair because I expect Andrew Little to make a statement after I have spoken about what involvement he may have had in the process around the consideration of Wai 2770.So this is what they say: "Claimants Sir Toby Curtis Dame Iritana … Dame Tariana Turia and Pem Bird have filed for their Treaty of Waitangi claim Wai 2770 to be heard by the Waitangi Tribunal with urgency." Again my SOP was tabled before this action occurred but it does strengthen the case for my SOP. This has only happened in the last 15 minutes. "Their claim on behalf of themselves and Maori generally takes issue with the acts and omissions of the Crown in respect of the closure of Partnership Schools | Kura Hourua. Notable Maori educator Sir Toby Curtis said 'the state system has been failing our kids for 178 years we finally get a schooling system that works for our young people and Minister Hipkins acts unilaterally' "—that's right unilaterally—" 'without considering evidence of their success and without consulting with our people to destroy them. This Minister has resorted to bullying to have his way and in so doing has disproportionately prejudiced Maori compared to non-Maori. From where we stand [the] Government's claims that the reduction of child poverty and the welfare of young people is a paramount focus lacks substance in the face of Kura Hourua being closed they are empty claims. Educational success is key for our whanau who have aspirations for a better life for their children and who are seeking to escape deprivation and poverty. The State Education system might be working for a lot of people but for the last 178 years it hasn't addressed Maori and Pasifika educational under-achievement which these Kura Hourua were' he said. '[The] Minister has decided without consultation to close all 11 Kura Hourua by Christmas while shortly after committing to extensive consultation around the review of Tomorrow's Schools and NCEA. Minister Hipkins has acted in concert with the [teacher] Unions to treat Maori differently and decide unilaterally to close 11 schools that were achieving extraordinary results for our young people that is inequity pure and simple' Sir Toby said."So my SOP stands. The question that I have—[Bell rung]CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): David Seymour.David Seymour: Thank you Mr Chair but could I just say I thought Nikki Kaye had a minute to go but I'll keep speaking in support of her in any case.CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): My apologies.David Seymour: Would it be OK to give her minute back Mr Chair?CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): Yeah I apologise to the member. My vision of the clock was quite clearly incorrect. I should not have given the call to the member but I will give it to him. I would encourage members not to jump up because I should have looked at the clock and members had risen to their feet.Hon NIKKI KAYE: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I seek leave to have my minute of my previous speech.CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): Yes.Hon NIKKI KAYE: OK. So the point is that we have this SOP before the committee and I plead with Labour and Green MPs. This is an issue of process. You've already terminated the contracts of all of these schools. All that these iwi leaders are asking for is due process here. They have watched Parliament. They have gone to the step of filing an urgency application in the Waitangi Tribunal. Why do we need to proceed today? I would very happily stand up shortly and move a motion that we effectively halt this bill while we enable Ministers of the Crown like Andrew Little and like the Hon Chris Hipkins to consider this urgency application. That is the decent thing to do. I am now looking at Gareth Hughes. Please Gareth understand that this urgency application has been lodged. You could stand up and take a point of order recognise that urgency application and at the process level please allow my SOP to go through. New Zealand First wherever—there you are. Why can't you consider these iwi leaders and the mana and respect that they have?"