Garrett David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Garrett David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:657;Page:6632] 
10.  
DAVID GARRETT (ACT) 
 to the  
Minister for Climate Change Issues 
: Has he a written document of what has been agreed to with the Maori Party to advance the Government’s amendments to the emissions trading scheme to a select committee; if so will he table it? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Climate Change Issues) 
: 
 Yes. The agreement was by way of an exchange of letters between leaders. It is not appropriate to release those letters at this time because we are working through the details of a number of proposals and we wish to do that directly with the Maori Party and not through public discourse as we do with negotiations with other parties including ACT. I would be happy to table the 13 bullet points that cover all the features of the agreement.  
David Garrett 
: Does the Minister have an estimate of what the agreement with the Maori Party will cost taxpayers and given that the agreement is only to support the referral to a select committee what does he think the cost of an agreement for the second and third readings of the bill will be? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The agreement we have in good faith with the Maori Party is to work through the details around some key initiatives for providing home insulation as my colleague said for low-income households. There are details about our working through a national policy statement on biodiversity under the Resource Management Act. There is a total of 13 initiatives and I have every confidence that we can work cooperatively with the Maori Party to ensure its support for the second and third readings. 
Craig Foss 
: Which of the 13 elements in the agreement with the Maori Party will be included in legislation to be introduced next week? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The details of the 50 percent obligation the $25 fixed price option and the additional allocation for fishing industry to quota holders will be included in the bill next week. Other details like the Treaty clause are subject to work by officials including Crown Law officials in consultation with the Maori Party. Most of the other elements of the agreement do not require legislation. They are being worked on by officials in consultation with the Maori Party. We will announce those details when they are finalised. 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Does he stand by his earlier public statement: “A separate Maori party will not help us find solutions to challenges but will polarise the debate.”; if so why is he encouraging the segregation of Maori climate change obligations from the rest of the New Zealand community? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I am not. If the member looks in detail at the bill next week he will see that although it is certainly true that Maori have a very large interest in industries like fishing forestry and agriculture we have been very plain that there will not be—and the Maori Party has not asked for—any different rules for Maori in those industries than what there are for other New Zealanders. 
David Garrett 
: Can the Minister confirm whether the deal involves benefit hikes and whether the energy-efficiency assistance for home insulation is in fact for all low-income households or for just Maori low-income households? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: On the first point I say that the way our system of benefits works is that they are adjusted by CPI each year and when the increased cost of both fuel and power—which we have halved as part of the agreement—flows through there will be an adjustment for those benefits. In respect of the issues raised the focus of the Maori Party has been a concern around low-income households and it has not asked that the allocations be made specifically on the basis of any ethnicity. 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Can the Minister explain why the Maori concessions are good for Papatuanuku as reflected in the Maori Party commentary or is this a case of the Government preaching indigenous declaration but acceding to indigenous desecration? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I find that interesting from a member of the Opposition. I remind him that during the time of the previous Labour administration emissions grew by 24 percent. 
Hon Members 
: Answer the question! 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Members opposite do not like it but the reality is that their climate change record was an international embarrassment. Under this Government with an effective agreement with the Maori Party we will have a very responsible approach to both climate change as well as the broader economic interests of Maori and other New Zealanders. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: What measures has the Government agreed to in order to ensure that the obligations of the Crown to Maori including the ones under the Treaty of Waitangi are not compromised by the New Zealand emissions trading scheme? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The Maori Party has strongly advocated that position out of concern that Maori should not carry a disproportionate share of the costs of reducing emissions because of their concentration of economic interests in primary industry and because of Maori being disproportionately represented in low-income households. Many of the 13 elements agreed on address this including a specific Treaty clause in the law additional allocations to fishing quota holders involvement for Maori in international negotiations over forestry offset agreements to work through the issues for pre - emissions trading scheme forest settlements measures to lower the cost increases for petrol and power as well as the extension of the home insulation scheme for low-income households. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister Dr Smith indicated he would table some documents in the House. He appears to have forgotten that. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the key features negotiated between the Maori Party and the Government in respect of the emissions trading scheme. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.