McCully Murray: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
McCully Murray: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3859] 
7.  
Hon MURRAY McCULLY (NZ National—East Coast Bays) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Maori Affairs 
: In light of his comments yesterday of his speech circulated to the Knowledge Wave conference “I stand by everything I said” what specific recommendations will he be making to achieve the “number of policy shifts” required to promote Maori economic development? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE (Associate Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I plan to work actively with my Cabinet colleagues in this area. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: Is the Minister appreciative of the many positive comments editorials and letters to the editor that have followed his speech and given his statement to TV3 that the speech had been “run past the Prime Minister and Minister Maharey” what does he understand to be reason that the Prime Minister has demanded that her staff vet his speeches in future? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: My conduct and especially my throwaway comments were inconsiderate inappropriate and wrong. I regret them. I was wrong to say them and that is why I have apologised to the Hon Steve Maharey and the Prime Minister. 
Jill Pettis 
: Could the Minister please outline to the House what other positive initiatives exist to promote Maori economic development? Take your time.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member who is a senior member knows that that comment should not have been made. I ask her to withdraw it. 
Jill Pettis 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: Within my delegations as Associate Minister of Maori Affairs I have responsibilities with regard to capacity building the Maori Trust Office the Poutama Trust the Maori Business Facilitation Service and Te Kapinga which is an inter-agency Maori development project. All of those promote Maori economic development. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: When the Associate Minister said: “I stand by everything I said” did he expect the people of this country to take him seriously or what interpretation should we take when within minutes and hours he is apologising again; does he mean what he says or what? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: He means what he says. [ 
Interruption 
]  
Mr SPEAKER 
: There will be somebody leaving the Chamber. There should be no comment during the asking of a question. 
Rodney Hide 
: In the light of the Minister of Social Services and Employment today ruling out doing any work on the policy shifts Mr Tamihere proposed in his knowledge-wave speech what is Mr Tamihere proposing to do now to justify his ministerial pay and position especially to the communities he claims he represents? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: We just have to keep trying.  
Hon Murray McCully 
: In the light of the insistence of the Minister of Social Services and Employment in the House this week that he had academic standing in the area of social change has Mr Tamihere discussed with that Minister the use of the terms “statism” and “old left” to describe the Government’s approach to Maori development; if so what was the result of that conversation? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: Under the careful guidance of our Prime Minister I have had a wonderful discussion with the honourable Minister in charge of the Ministry of Social Development and we are of one mind on going forward. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Does the Minister understand that if they and he are all of one mind and are going forward together then his comments and remarks in that speech are totally contrary to that; so I ask him again whether he will stand by what he said or will he resign? 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: I definitely will not be resigning.