English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:608;Page:5902] 
3.  
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she have the full support of her executive for her comments that “The 1937 nationalisation of oil and gas reserves took place in the public interest”; if not why not? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON (Attorney-General) 
 on behalf of the 
 Prime Minister 
: Yes. 
Hon Bill English 
: Is the Prime Minister conscious of statements made by the Hon Tariana Turia that the Government’s stated position resulted in “a further loss of property right” and that “Maori had been short-changed.”; if she is conscious of those statements what action if any will she take in relation to them? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: Yes on behalf of the Prime Minister the Prime Minister is conscious of those statements and as she is reported as saying in the  
Dominion Post 
 Maori MPs have a right to advocate for their people but at the end of the day it is the Government that has to decide the position to be taken and it is that position that is to be supported. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Can I ask the stand-in Minister this— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Ask the Minister. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: The Prime Minister I presume. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes. Do not use the word “stand-in” please. There is a proper term for that. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Well I ask the acting Prime Minister this: given that in 1937 the Maori people from that area backed the Labour Party in the Maori seats why would the Maori members in her party now wish to go back on that support by their ancestors at that time? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: On behalf of the Prime Minister the Maori people support their members—which is indicated by the fact that all the Maori seats are held by Labour members—because the Labour Party was the only party that decided to redress the historical grievances and to enable those to be settled. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Can the acting Prime Minister tell the House whether there is one rule for all Cabinet Ministers or is this Government being inconsistent and are there different rules for Maori Cabinet Ministers? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: On behalf of the Prime Minister there is of course one rule for all Cabinet Ministers and those rules are applied flexibly and with an understanding of the position of the members. 
Metiria Turei 
: Does the Prime Minister consider that the interests of Maori are subservient to those of the oil and petroleum industry; if not will she enter into a good-faith dialogue with Nga Ruahine to work through the recommendations proposed by the tribunal? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: On behalf of the Prime Minister the whole process of nationalisation meant that all individual interests were subservient to the national interest. In respect of the second part of the member’s question the Government will consider the report and the recommendations from the tribunal. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: Will the acting Prime Minister assure the House and the country that all New Zealanders will continue to be treated the same under the spirit of that 1937 legislation regardless of the outcome of today’s tribunal finding? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: Yes. 
Hon Bill English 
: What does the Prime Minister say to Maori who believe that Labour raised their expectations with quotes like this from the Prime Minister in relation to Maori mineral claims: “You couldn’t get anyone more sympathetic than me on these issues.”? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: On behalf of the Prime Minister I am not certain what the honourable member is referring to or what context that statement was made in. However the statement certainly rings true in terms of the record of this Government on the settling of grievances and also on the acknowledgment of social and economic deprivation through the provision of resources. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Could the acting Prime Minister tell us whether she thinks the tribunal’s about-to-be-announced decision is wrong in law; if it is not will she therefore change the law that gave the tribunal the right to make that decision which in legal terms is correct? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That seeks a legal opinion but the Hon Margaret Wilson can comment. 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: On behalf of the Prime Minister we are still considering the tribunal’s report which officially I understand may have just been released. But my understanding at the moment is that on the questions of law—I think that is what the member means—the report is correct in acknowledging that the nationalisation was perfectly lawful. We will look at the recommendations in terms of the other matters raised and after we have had an opportunity to consider them we will duly make a statement. 
Hon Bill English 
: Given the Prime Minister’s earlier answer on collective responsibility does she believe that the Hon Tariana Turia breached collective responsibility with her attacks on the Government’s position today; or does she believe the Minister did not breach it and the Government will not worry about it anyway? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: On behalf of the Prime Minister I do not believe that the Minister has attacked the Government. She has expressed a view representing her constituents and she has made that quite clear.