Prime Willow-Jean; Pugh MaureenHon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour): Thank you Madam Chair. And I heed that request and that advice that you've given. I will note though that we have tried to engage in backwards and forwards questions with the Minister but he didn't actually take us up on that so you've seen us revert back to five-minute contributions. There was an invitation last night to have that question exchange and it didn't actually happen. So if the Minister is now prepared to have that backwards and forwards with us—there has been some hesitancy for fear that the debate will collapse or time won't be given to carry on that questioning because we haven't actually seen the Minister being prepared to engage in a series of questions like that.However I'm coming on to a new part—[Interruption] Go back and watch the Hansard—you'll see it. I'm coming on to a new Part Schedule 2 Consequential amendments to enactments". This was raised by the Hon Peeni Henare and he used the example which falls in one of my portfolios which is Oranga Tamariki. And the Minister in his response to that was very flippant and basically said that all it is doing is deleting the references to the Māori Health Authority as if they are inconsequential to the Acts that they are in the roles that those organisations play the functions that they perform. So without repeating the contribution from a previous member I picked out another piece of legislation—"Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act 1975"—where in Schedule 2 "Consequential amendments to enactments" it says it will repeal the definition of the Māori Health Authority in section 2; in section 4(e) it will delete the Māori Health Authority; in section 25C(3)(d) it will delete the Māori Health Authority.Now of course we are doing this all off our phones and tablets at the moment. I've gone and pulled up that particular piece of legislation where this consequential amendment has effect. And it's to section 4—I'm just picking out one of them. It is not simply removing a reference to the Māori Health Authority and that it is inconsequential—that all we've done is remove that—because when you look at what the purpose of having the Māori Health Authority listed in that Act actually is when you just simply remove the Māori Health Authority you are removing them from performing a function under that Act to deliver what is expected.So in this case it says in section 4 of the Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act the aims of the Minister and the Director-General: "Without limiting in any way the functions and powers conferred on the Minister or on the Director-General by this Act the aims of the Minister and the Director-General in the exercise of those functions and powers shall include—" and it lists them (a) (b) (c) (d)—for example "(a) to assist and encourage disabled persons to become socially and financially independent: (b) to promote schemes providing for the assessment work experience training sheltered employment and other suitable activities of disabled persons: (c) to promote the general well-being recreational opportunities and welfare in the community of disabled [peoples]" and it goes on. It says in section (4)(e)—the one that we are repealing. And we're simply just deleting the reference to the Māori Health Authority. In this Act it is "to foster close working relationships and (as appropriate) consult with government departments Health New Zealand the Māori Health Authority and other bodies organisations and professions concerned with rehabilitation and training of disabled persons and their placement in employment:".Now I would argue that the reference to the Māori Health Authority in this piece of legislation was not tokenistic. There was a deliberate intent as to why to include the Māori Health Authority in the list of organisations that the Minister for Whaikaha and the Director-General will foster relationships with those organisations. Why is that? So that they can have better communication they can be better informed they can take into account Māori perspectives—hauora Māori and wellbeing for example. So by deleting the reference to the Māori Health Authority and not replacing it with something like—I mean Health New Zealand is already there. So if Health New Zealand could already do this why did it also list the Māori Health Authority? Because this legislation recognised that the Māori Health Authority provided something unique to what the—CHAIRPERSON (Maureen Pugh): The member's time has expired."