Harawira Hone: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHarawira Hone: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 10 October 2007. Volume:642;Page:12221. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.HONE HARAWIRA (Māori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) to theMinister ofMāori Affairs:Mepēhearā a ia emōhiomēnā kataea e te kaupapahōuhoko whenuaKarauna te tiakingāpāngaMāori?[How can he be sure that the new process for the sale of Crown land will protectMāori interests?]Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister ofMāori Affairs):Ewhakaponoana au kawhakaahurutia e te kaupapahōumō tehokoingā whenua o teKaraunangāpānga o teMāorinō temea kawhakaratotēneiitētahi atuahurutangamō tewhānuitanga atu ongāngākaunuitanga o teMāoriarā tewhakataunga ongākerēme o Te Tiriti o Waitangingāwāriuahurea te tiakiingā taonga aPapatūānuku mengāwāriu tuku iho.[An interpretation in English was given to the House.][I am confident that the new process for the sale of Crown land will protectMāori interests because it provides an additional layer of protection that accounts for a broader set ofMāori interests including Treaty settlements and cultural conservation and heritage values.]Hone Harawira: Does the Minister stand by his comment: “Labour’sMāori caucus took a close look in the review to ensureMāori interests were accounted for and I’m pleased the new measures will achieve this.” when in fact the new process is entirely voluntary as opposed to the existing Office of Treaty Settlements land protection mechanism which was a mandatory scheme applying to all Government departments?Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA: I stand by that statement and the two separate levels that that member is talking about.Dave Hereora: How canMāori be confident that the new process will adequately protect their interests in particular pieces of land?Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA:Ehereaana etēnei kaupapahōungāmāngai ki teripoata ki teMinitairungaingāwāriungāahureangā tukuihotanga o te rohe mengāhākinakinaimua atui tewhaiwhakaarotanga ki te tukuingā whenua o teKarauna.Mātēnei ewhakarite kiamōhiongāMinita kingātāngata ewhaiwāhi maianatāpiri atu kingāpānga a teMāorii rotoi te whenuaimua atui tewhakaritenga ongāwhakataunga.[An interpretation in English was given to the House.][The new process requires officials to report to Ministers on a range of cultural heritage local and recreational values prior to the intended disposal of surplus Crown land. This ensures that Ministers are informed of all interests includingMāori interests in the land before making decisions.]Hone Harawira: Does the Minister stand by his claim that the new process adds a new layer of protection forMāori interests; if so what does he have to say about the advice that neither he the LabourMāori caucus his department nor local iwi were consulted before one State-owned enterprise advised the Government that it would not be complying with the policy of protecting land in whichMāori have an interest and that it had in fact already sold land under its control?Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA: In moving on all State-owned enterprises have voluntarily committed to being part of this process.Hone Harawira: Would the Minister agree thatMāoridom will rightly feel that they have again been betrayed by this Labour Government when he tellsMāori people that the new process adds a new layer of protection forMāori interests but in fact under this new process the Government can still sell Landcorp land to the highest bidder for any public policy reasons that it deems appropriate at that time?Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA: I am sure that member would consider and concede as the co-leader of theMāori Party did who lavished support on the Government and theMāori caucus for getting to this stage. Certainly he did say on 24 September that he was pleased with the comments made by the Prime Minister Helen Clark and that the Government had to be sensitive when there were historical recreation and Treaty issues in relation to Landcorp properties that might be sold. This is an overarching issue. It caters for all vested interests in this land especiallyMāori interests including Treaty settlements.