Quinn Paul: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Quinn Paul: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:665;Page:12773] 
PAUL QUINN (National) 
: 
 Tena koe e te Heamana. Tena koutou tena tatou e te whanau Paremata. It gives me great pleasure to speak in this particular part of the debate. I first acknowledge the excellent and in fact superb work that the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations the Hon Chris Finlayson has done in carrying out this aspect of the Government’s policy. That work is demonstrated first and foremost by the fact that in these estimates we are now considering an extra $6.5 million has been allocated in this year’s Budget to enable the Government to meet its target of settling all the claims by the year 2014. We have for the first time seen a significant increase in the Office of Treaty Settlements budget. More important we have given a sense of purpose and satisfaction to that office in the work that it does—a sense that it has never had before certainly in the over 20 years that I have dealt with it. It has been a lost ship— 
Dr Cam Calder 
: Rudderless. 
PAUL QUINN 
: It has been a rudderless ship particularly during the 9 years of the previous Labour Government. That is demonstrated for Mr Grant Robertson’s information by the fact that during the 9 years that Labour was in Government it produced 1.6 settlements per year—1.6 settlements per year. In the short time that this Government has been in power we have already signed under the outstanding leadership of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations—and the excellent work the Minister is doing was recognised in the speech made by my friend and colleague Rahui Katene—seven deeds of settlement 11 agreements in principle 11 deeds of mandate and seven terms of negotiation. This is an extraordinary amount of work and the people who actually understand what is involved in achieving these milestones will understand that. 
Chris Tremain 
: Do you think that requires a plan? 
PAUL QUINN 
: Absolutely. This shows us just how poor the performance of the previous administration was. That administration was supposedly into closing the gaps. Remember closing the gaps? Yet all that administration achieved was 1.6 settlements per year starting with Margaret Wilson who did nothing for 2 years. I know that because we waited for a meeting with her. We waited desperately for a meeting with her and she did nothing. We were very close to signing a deed of settlement prior to Labour coming into power in 1999 and then we sat around for 2 years waiting to get a first meeting with Margaret Wilson. She of course was followed by that wonderful chappie called Mark Burton who was even worse than Margaret Wilson—even worse. Even Shane Jones will agree with that. The Labour Government did have one or two Ministers who tried to do something including my friend Parekura Horomia. But sadly even he was ignored. 
The great thing is that we are moving on. But the one other aspect that I will cover briefly—and we will see it later on tonight when we debate another settlement bill—is not only that National in coming into power has done an outstanding level of work but that this Minister has had to clean up a mess left behind by the previous administration in a number of areas.