English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3421] 
1. Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Further to her statement yesterday that a “number of Government agencies presently have a role in dispersing information” about the Treaty is there a plan for her Government to establish and implement an additional and distinct Treaty education programme as promised in Labour’s 2002 election policy; if so what principles of the Treaty will be included in that programme? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON (Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
 on behalf of the 
 Prime Minister 
: Labour’s 2002 election manifesto promised to establish and implement a Treaty of Waitangi education programme to improve the understanding of all New Zealanders. There is no reference to an additional programme so I do not know what the member is precisely referring to. What the Government is proposing however is to build on and enhance information currently available to the public through Government agencies. 
Hon Bill English 
: If there is to be no treaty education programme why did the Government in the delegations tabled on Tuesday appoint Tariana Turia as the Minister directly responsible for educating the public on the treaty? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: There can be no education without information.  
Gerry Brownlee 
: I seek the leave of the House to have an immediate seating reshuffle because clearly Margaret Wilson has caught Parekura Horomia’s dialect disease. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No that is just frivolous and silly and I ask the member to stand and withdraw and apologise for that comment. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Mahara Okeroa 
: What information relating to the Treaty of Waitangi is currently available? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: The information available includes historical publications relating to the treaty; Waitangi Tribunal reports of which there are now almost 80; Maori Land Court historical records where it is appropriate; and commentaries on court decisions relating to the treaty. The Government proposes to make this information more accessible to individuals schools businesses and organisations that are interested in being better informed about the treaty. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Given Professor Matthew Palmer’s call for the Government to articulate clearly what the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are when will the Prime Minister show some leadership and articulate those principles or is that an impossibility? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: The principles that guide Government action are those that were published in 1989. They are the principles for Crown action on the Treaty of Waitangi which have been tabled before. The publication that was referred to by the Prime Minister yesterday includes principles that have been enunciated from tribunal reports and the courts. 
Heather Roy 
: Could the Minister point me to the exact page number or even the chapter in her recommended reading  
Understanding the Treaty 
 published by Te Puni Kokiri that says that partnership with iwi is a principle of the treaty; if not has she not read the book as I have? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: No I cannot give the member the precise page number. However I would be happy to do so if the member would like to attend a seminar which I am also happy to arrange for those who would like to be better informed. 
Metiria Turei 
: Can the Prime Minister detail how the many experienced Maori and Pakeha treaty educators already doing this work in their communities will be involved in the Government’s programme or will this programme simply be a Government agency public relations exercise? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: It is intended that the information that will be available will enable those agencies that are already doing valuable work to enhance the delivery of their programmes. 
Hon Bill English 
: Has the Prime Minister consulted the Maori caucus about the following promise she made at the last election: that is the Maori development policy as the second top priority “to establish and implement a treaty education programme to improve the understanding of all New Zealanders” or is she so embarrassed about that undertaking that she has now backed down? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: Unlike the Leader of the Opposition we talk constantly with our caucus and we talk with one voice. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why is the Prime Minister asserting now that which she would not assert last year—that the Waitangi settlements principles are now to be regarded as the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi; or did she discover that in the same way that Columbus discovered America—purely by accident? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: I really do feel that a seminar should be held. The principles that I referred to in 1989 are those that guide policy making. Principles that guide negotiations for the settlement of specific claims were set out in I think 2000 when I revised them and they are for a different purpose than the others because we try to make the principles relate to the treaty.  
Document laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker under Standing Order 362 “Quoting documents”. I am not sure whether the Minister has quoted from the book she has asked us all to read but I thought that as she and the Prime Minister have referred to it she should be asked whether she would table the Te Puni Kokiri book which is apparently so important. In fact if it is as important as that why has every MP not been sent a copy? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister did quote from a book. She may like to make a comment. 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: I did not quote directly from the document but in the interests of making information available I will certainly table a document and I will see whether one can be made available to everyone. I do understand how impoverished you all are at the moment. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Irony is never very helpful. I will just say to the member that she said she will table it. That should have been her answer. 
Document laid on the Table of the House.