Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:646;Page:15051] 
12.  
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Is the Maori Trustee’s general purposes fund made up of income generated from beneficiary money? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 The general purposes fund is made up of money from the business activities of the Maori Trustee. The sources of funding for the general purposes fund are fees and commissions returns on investments and the interest differential between what is earned on common fund investments and what can be legally paid to beneficial owners of those investments. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: If the Minister is correct how can Labour purloin $35 million generated by beneficiaries’ assets and rather than giving that income back to the beneficiaries who generated it try to use that money to set up an election year slush fund? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: As I told the member the other day the general purposes fund and other funds for Maori development present a significant opportunity if they are pooled and work together. The Maori Trustee will be sitting across the top of this money and other contributions as chairperson of the new entity. Those selected for the board will be selected in consultation with iwi leaders and other Maori organisations around the country. 
Louisa Wall 
: Kia ora Madam Speaker. What can the general purposes fund be used for? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: It will be used to progress Maori development both in enterprise and land-based activities. It will certainly give Maori the opportunity that banks in this country do not give them because of the tenure construct of Maori land. 
Pita Paraone 
: Tena koe Madam Speaker. Is the goal of a new fund to be taken from the Maori Trustee’s general purposes fund to foster real self-sufficiency and development among Maori-owned businesses and landowners or is it just more micro-management that will keep Maori dependent on Government support? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Tena koe. The fund will be contributed to from a range of sources including the Crown. The intent of the fund is to support the economic aspirations of Maori. The one thing about Maori and their economic aspirations is that they will never leave this country. They will prop up the great work that Michael and Helen have done. The entity will be independent of the Crown and will also be accountable to Maori for its performance. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Can the Minister confirm the statement on page 7 of the Maori Trustee’s annual report that says it is necessary that the Maori Trustee is independent from the Crown so that the trustee is not influenced by political factors that may not be in the interests of the clients; if so how could the Minister state in this House last week that the appointees to the Maori Business Aotearoa New Zealand entity would be made up of Maori who support Labour? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: As usual that member is twisting things. I have never said “support Labour”. What I said was “support Maori”. I make it quite clear that in the duties of the Maori Trustee there are other activities that the Crown has to pay for—it purchases off the Maori Trustee and there is agreement. Those are the people whom the Crown cannot find—those people who have unclaimed dividends—and how does one get that out? That has clearly been a practice for a long time even when that member was the Minister of Maori Affairs. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Is it not the case that if the Government has a vested interest in appropriating income generated from unpaid beneficiary money for its proposed new business development fund Labour will have no interest in tracking down the beneficiaries and paying them their due because that will reduce the amount of money it can appropriate for its “Fox Fighting Fund” in a desperate effort to help the Minister to keep his seat? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The one thing about this Minister is that he has his seat unlike that member and he will continue to carry on—let me be very clear about that. The one thing about this business is that one cannot differentiate between one’s cousins and one’s whanau as Tini Fox is one of mine. Let me tell that member again—and he should listen carefully—that the general purposes fund is made up of money from the business activities of the Maori Trustee. The sources of funding for the general purposes fund are fees and commissions returns on investments and the interest differential between what is earned from the common fund investments and what can be legally paid to beneficial owners of those investments. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Is it not true that under the Maori Trustee and Maori Development Amendment Bill rather than protect the interests of Maori beneficiaries Labour is going to take money from the Maori Trustee take money from the Crown Forestry Rental Trust take money from the Poutama Maori Business Trust and give it to a group of his own personal appointees to spend on people who are not beneficiaries of the Maori Trustee in a vain attempt to help him keep his seat? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Several decisions are made and certainly that member remembers how we developed the Maori Education Trust Board and other organisations. I wish that that member would not get so upset about me wanting to retain my seat because that is what I will do. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Has the Minister been contacted by the Federation of Maori Authorities and is it not true that it has said to the Minister that it is opposed to the Minister purloining $35 million out of the Maori Trustee to set up this slush fund? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: There are always ongoing discussions with the Federation of Maori Authorities and other Maori organisations and the majority are in support of this development. Members of his party might be telling him otherwise but I tell him that Maori have a lot of support for this development. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Is it not the case that this rort is nothing more than a reserve fund for the Minister of Maori Affairs and that it should be renamed the “Fox Fighting Fund” because that Minister and his other mates in the Labour Party are scared of losing their seats to the Maori Party in the next election? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: It is a real pleasure to still have my seat unlike that member. I ask him what his policy is. What would he like to do with Maori because there was not too much transparency when National was sitting on the Government benches? I ask him what his policy is because he has nothing. Maori will be excited and encouraged by this great development—members can mark my words. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I seek leave of the House to table the annual report of the Maori Trustee. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection.