Sharples Pita: Appointments — OmbudsmanText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSharples Pita: Appointments — Ombudsman[Sitting date: 11 October 2007. Volume:642;Page:12313. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Madam Speakertēnā koe. When one walks into this Chamber one sees the cameras which are often focused onthe drama intrigue and spectacle that is called politics. But when one walks out of the Chamber one sees the many distinctive and equally impressive people who make this place work. There is the Scottish wonder of Ellen the cheery conversations ofClarry the respectful protection of our security staff and the incredible resources of the library services—and many others. But there is one person who absolutely stands out amongst many. He is Parliament’s top official the head of more than 100 staff and the key adviser to you Madam Speaker: the Clerk of the House of Representatives.It is my honour on behalf of theMāori Party to support this motion to endorse the comments made this afternoon and to acknowledge with our utmost appreciation the outstanding contribution that David McGee has made to this Parliament. For over 34 years he has been a pivotal player in guiding Parliament and in monitoring the extent to which Parliament should be at the forefront of public debates.We stand also to mihi to a man who has not been afraid to make his mark on parliamentary practice in Aotearoa. In doing so he has never shied away from controversy or conflict. It was this man who backed the Privileges Committee in censuring Television New Zealand’s treatment of former chief executive Ian Fraser describing its behaviour as an egregious breach of privilege. It was David McGee who criticised the way that New Zealand enters into international treaties as being fundamentally undemocratic.It is the Clerk of the House who gets to deal with any evidence or reports that may adversely affect somebody’s reputation. Examples in recent years include the accuracy of home addresses for the Leader of the Opposition or our own HoneHarawira’s 2-day visit to the Northern Territory.It is the same person who in 2004 issued a scathing 24-page submission in response to the Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill. His opening two lines bear repeating as an example of the clarity of the advice he has presented over the years: “Democracy entails accountability for the exercise of power. Accountability has a number of facets one of which is the executive being answerable to Parliament for its use of public resources to achieve specified outcomes.” I am sure that David as a student of democracy knows only too well how fragile the existence of the institution of democracy can be in any society—a view we in theMāori Party are also acutely aware of.Within everywhānauhapū and iwi there are wise elders who inspire and challenge us all as much by what they do not say as by what they do say. Their lifetime legacy is demonstrated in the art of understatement. Lessons are learnt by trying to interpret the stories told and by struggling over the meaning of past experiences. David McGee reminds me very much of these same wise elders. The impact of his institutional knowledge is immense. He has an enormous capacity for being able to look into history and to draw upon precedent to assist us in understanding the issues of the day. It is a quality that theMāori Party has come to attribute the highest value to.We have all appreciated the expert opinion he has shared so generously with us never venturing past the boundaries of political impropriety but adhering firmly to the conventions and procedures of the parliamentary process. He is truly a professional.As a new party the source of institutional wisdom theMāori Party found in David McGee has been particularly crucial in establishing a sound foundation for our future as a strong and independentMāori voice in Parliament. The institutional knowledge and memory he takes with him will be sorely missed. And we all know what happens to an institution when its memory goes. We just need to look at our Public Service and the difficulties that currently exist there as a result of the corporate juggernaut that marched through its ranks in the mid-1980s. Let history be our constant reminder.As an example of the imprint of his institutional memory I recommend that members of the House look at a paper from David McGee entitled “Concerning Legislative Process” which was published in theOtago Law Review earlier this year. In that paper he revealed a rather amazing fact. From analysing the speed of lawmaking over a 50-year period starting back in 1954 he found that the 2002-05 Parliament produced the lowest total of sitting minutes to pass each page of legislation. Whereas in 1984 for example the House required 22.4 minutes to pass each page of legislation in 2002-05 the time required had reduced dramatically to 12.3 minutes. As we consider the undue haste in which the House proceeds through its legislative programme we can only surmise that the speed of lawmaking for this 2005-08 Parliament will no doubt drop off the tally sheet.I have taken the time to outline some of these other distinctive characteristics from the reign of David McGee because I see them as having the right foundation for his next role as the third Ombudsman. The candidate specification outlines the fact that independence credibility and impeccable integrity are essential to that role. It is my humble opinion that we would be hard-pressed to find a better person than David McGee to fulfil such characteristics. Indeed his leadership is acknowledged throughout the Commonwealth. Perhaps his greatest legacy will be the 770 pages ofParliamentary Practice in New Zealandwhich occupies pride of place on any reputable MP’s bookshelf.The role of the Ombudsman is an essential facet of the democratic process. It is critical to the maintenance of public confidence in the bureaucratic system and public administration in Government. The Ombudsman provides a critical watchdog capacity to ensure that the machinery of Government operates in a fair and reasonable manner.As I have pondered on David McGee’s suitability for this position I was drawn to a comment he made in the submission I referred to earlier challenging the substance of the Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill. David McGee drew upon an example established byGaiusPetronius in the year AD 66 who said: “I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation with reorganising and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing inefficiency and demoralisation.” As I said the wisdom of our olds is a gift to be treasured.TheMāori Party is confident that our support for David McGee to be appointed as the third Ombudsman will reap rewards for the very nature of the democratic process. We believe that he will provide excellent and expert advice to those who seek his services—those who seek to relitigate their grievances against the administration of Government those who seek to outline their evidence of the mistreatment of prisoners those who are considering making a protected disclosure those who appeal requests declined under the terms of the Official Information Act and all those New Zealanders who simply seek justice.We congratulate David McGee on his appointment we acknowledge his distinguished contribution to the House of Representatives and we are very happy to support this motion. Thank you.