O'Connor Damien: New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill — In Committee 
O'Connor Damien: New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:646;Page:15546] 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Minister of Tourism) 
: 
 I am not as sensitive as some in this House over how people pronounce my name Mr Chairperson. It was still very polite and I think that if politicians worry about things like that then they should move on to another career. 
Hon Tariana Turia 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I am really disappointed that people would make fun of the issue of mispronunciation of names because it is not funny. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: Thank you for raising that. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: I am not making fun of that. It is the reality that not everyone has been to elocution lessons not everyone has been to te reo lessons and some of us struggle particularly in the South Island to pronounce Maori names. For that I apologise but that is the reality of the challenge that each and every one of us faces. Mr Henare for example—I am not sure whether I pronounced that name right or wrong. I apologise. I do my best. I think we have to move on to more important issues in this Chamber. 
I am taking the opportunity to speak on this bill because I am absolutely astounded that National members would want to oppose this bill—for a couple of reasons. Firstly we are replacing a 1946 Act. I would have thought that even National members would want us to make progress across the country. I guess that if there is one thing National members are stuck in then it is a time warp. If they are prepared to be linked and locked into a 1946 Act then God help the country if they were to ever get their hands on the levers of Treasury again. This Government is prepared to review such Acts and to get on and make the changes that might seem insignificant to members opposite and that might seem unimportant but none the less they are part of being a responsible Government. 
The other thing that absolutely astounds me about the Tories and their opposition to this bill is that I have never known a true Tory who does not want to extend his or her power and authority. There is one thing about a good Tory—Tories know what the value of power is and how to abuse it. This bill extends the territorial power to name areas in the Ross Dependency. I would have thought that a good old-fashioned Tory would seize the opportunity to name such places and to have more authority because that is what has happened in the past. 
If we go back and look at the genesis of this legislation it goes back to the Royal Geographic Society of London which had the right to name places in this country. That is right—the Tories back in London made the decisions about place names in this land Aotearoa. And that in my view was wrong back then. Then it moved on to a newer Act the Designation of Districts Act 1894. Unfortunately the country was run by a bunch of Tories then too. They then named places in this country. What we are doing is moving on to rightful authority and the ability to name places in the Ross Dependency and the continental shelf and we think that is progress. It is moving us on from 1946. 
Mr Ardern agrees so I presume he will be supporting this bill in its passage through this Parliament as any sensible Tory would do. I know that he is a decent Tory and there are a few. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: There’s no such thing! 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: Some of my colleagues think that there is no such thing—that it is an oxymoron—but there are a few. Mr Ardern knows how to earn a decent day’s living out on the farm. 
The passage of this bill is a sensible use of parliamentary time. The National Party should just get on with it support the passage of the bill and move on and change an Act that has governed place names and the authority to make them since 1946. 
Shane Ardern 
: You used to be better at filibustering than this. What’s happened in the last 8 years? 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: I say to Mr Ardern that that is what we call progress. He will never know about it because he will not get the opportunity to make the changes. Kia ora. 
The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 196 in the name of the Hon David Parker to Part 2 be agreed to.