Horomia Parekura: Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Horomia Parekura: Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:2988] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
: 
 I felt a bit sorry for the previous speaker Allan Peachey when he talked about looking back to the past. If we go back over the last period of time a National Government was in office we see that the first 6 or 7 months were very interesting. The minimum wage was $7.05. National took it up by 38c and when National finished its term it rounded the increase off at 50c. The previous Labour Government increased it eight times. 
Hon Member 
: Well National increased it. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: National increased it but Labour put it up eight times. It is pretty sad to sit here and listen to all those platitudes trying to deny those people who cannot earn even the minimum wage. If we balance it off and take the compounding interest of major businesses— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Oh no! Stop. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: —and lift it up to the macro I say to Mr Henare we are talking about discounting businesses or ensuring that they have a pathway through in the sense of finances being made available. It can all be laid on! Some employers are decent people but at the end of the day who cares about the working class? 
The other thing that happened in National’s last term was that the unemployment rate raced up. There seems to be a photocopying session going on during the first 6 months of National’s current term because the same things are starting to happen. We heard about superannuitants today. We know that a lot of people are losing their jobs. Do the Tories care? No. Do they care that those people cannot reach even the minimum wage? No. But every excuse—every reason and rationale—is pushed out and discounting goes on to help National’s mates. 
So why should we help the working class? Because at the end of the day when we run over the last 32 years in this country we see that the working class has always paid taxes. Mr and Mrs Jones have always paid taxes. They have had no discounts whatever. There have been some great union organisers who stuck to their guns. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Name one. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Half of them are behind me here. But that member over there was always having a cup of tea at the urban authority. That is what he was doing; he was not even doing his job. 
Let us bring some common sense to this debate. The last Labour Government ensured by wrapping around certain issues like 14 weeks’ maternity leave and Working for Families that the working class was looked after. Things were made easier and we could see things lifting up. We could see that the workers were looked after. That lot over on the other side of the Chamber do not have the courage to support this measure. They are mean-spirited. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. It is a well-known fact that members cannot question a member’s courage in this Chamber. I ask you to ask that member to withdraw that comment. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: The member makes a fair point. Members in this Chamber cannot have their courage questioned. The English language has tens of thousands of words and the member could put a similar point less directly. To question a member’s courage directly is unacceptable and the member will withdraw. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: You can call him gutless Parekura. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: That member is incorrect in the advice he has just tendered. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Thank you Mr Chair and thank you for the lesson on the great English language. In Maoridom there are actually a couple of words for it such as “mataku”—people who are scared. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. It does not matter what language one uses in this Chamber—English; another official language Maori; or sign language—one still cannot question a member’s courage. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: There is a question about whether giving a loose translation of “scared” is in fact questioning someone’s courage or whether in a particular circumstance it is a statement of fact. I think it is interesting. Given the member who is raising the point of order it is a real case of  
Once Were Warriors 
 is it not? 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: That was unhelpful. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Step outside! 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: OK! 
Hon Member 
: Send them both out into the lobby! 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: Members will settle and be serious. This is a robust debate. If someone is scared it does not necessarily mean that they lack courage. People can be scared but do something anyway. It is not a question of courage; it is about being nervous or apprehensive. I invite the member speaking to continue and to try to avoid pushing the rules. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The great past Labour Government did a whole lot of things in relation to income-related rents and so on. 
Sandra Goudie 
: “Past” being the operative word. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: No—they are really important to the working class. 
It is amazing that those mean spirits do not even want to care about them. You know it has been pouring down around most of the country today—raining and hosing down. Poor pamphlet droppers will have got soaking wet and chilled to the bone and do those members care about that? No. There is not one stroke of warmth in their hearts. Those members are mean-spirited especially those from Christchurch. They should care and they should vote for this bill.