Samuels Dover: Maori Television Service Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Speaker Recalled 
Samuels Dover: Maori Television Service Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Speaker Recalled 
[Volume:607;Page:5002] 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS (Minister of State) 
:  
Kia ora tatou. Kei te mihi atu ki a koe te Kaiwhakahaere o tenei wahanga mo te pire e pa ana ki a tatou te iwi Maori. 
[ 
Greetings to us. I extend greetings to you Madam Chair who are chairing this session about the bill that concerns the Maori people 
.] 
I am certainly disappointed in some of the comments that have been made today by people who want to do a post-mortem on the title. I also say that the member for the National Party Georgina te Heuheu— 
John Carter 
: I raise a point of order Madam Chairperson. I am sorry to interrupt my colleague— 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: Do not be sorry; keep smiling! 
John Carter 
: I will keep smiling; that is one thing the member can rely on. Mr Samuels opened his speech with dialogue in Maori and I do not believe that he translated it for us. I wonder whether he would do so or would allow the interpreter to interpret? 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: Does the member choose to interpret? 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS 
: I thank John Carter. I was referring to and making an acknowledgement of the Chairperson. I am somewhat bewildered about the discussions pertaining to the title and possibly the new renaissance from the Hon Georgina te Heuheu when in fact she had a chance to raise her concerns about the translation of the title into Maori during the debate that was held on the bill in the Maori Affairs Committee. I was on that committee with the member when this bill was being debated and she certainly did not raise at any time that there could be a need for a Maori version of the title. 
The reason she did not is that the title is quite simple. Clause 1 of the bill states: “This Act is the Maori Television Service Act 2001.” There was no debate about it; there was no raruraru there. There was no suggestion that we should do a sort of post-mortem on the language and have a Maori translation. Now that this issue has been raised in terms of the spirit of wairua of kotahitanga and of whanaungatanga I will support perhaps the appropriate translation. But I have to look at it from a Ngapuhi perspective and to make sure that it is not a Tuwharetoa translation. I think perhaps the time has come when we can talk about that. If there is a whanaungatanga or wairuatanga approach to this issue then I would suggest that perhaps members on the Government side of the Chamber would concur that we should get a Maori translation and I think we can come to some consensus in relation to the translation of the title. 
But I would ask whether if we go that far we will have the support of the member for Tuwharetoa. That is really the nub—the key—to it all. If we agree with the suggestion made by that member that this Act may also be cited as “Te Ture mo te Ratonga Pouaka Whakaata Maori” I ask the senior Opposition whip whether that means that the National Party and the members on the Opposition side of the Chamber will support their honourable colleague and will support the bill. 
Let us do a deal. Let us talk a bit of common sense. This debate is an example of the Treaty of Waitangi partnership emerging in this Chamber. So we have compromised on the title clause and I am looking forward to the National Party supporting the bill— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the member but I just want to clarify something before we finish. Mr Hide will be out of the Chamber for the rest of the evening. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 730 p.m.