Jones Shane: Maori Trustee and Maori Development Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Jones Shane: Maori Trustee and Maori Development Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:645;Page:14581] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Minister for Building and Construction) 
: 
 Kia ora ano tatou. E te mangai o te Whare i te tuatahi me mihi atu au ki te uri o Tuwharetoa kua hou mai ki roto i to tatou Whare Paremata i tenei rangi. Ahakoa na tana iwi ia i hara mai na tana tuakana a Georgina te Heuheu ia i tautoko i tana hakari me tapiri e ahau enei kupu torutoru oku hei whakanui i a ia i te aroaro tana whanau i te nui o te honore kua whakawhiwhia ki a ia i tenei ra. Kia ora. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings to us once again. In the first instance Mr Assistant Speaker I should extend a greeting to the relative of Tuwharetoa who entered Parliament today. Even though it was her people who brought her here it was Georgina te Heuheu her peer who endorsed her at the feast for her; I should add these few words of mine to magnify her in the presence of her family because of the great honour that was bestowed upon her today. Thank you 
.] 
Apopo maku ano waku e hakamaori e hakapakeha engari e pai ana. Tena ano tatou katoa e te Whare. 
[ 
Tomorrow I will translate what I say in Maori to English but it is fine. Salutations to us all once again in the House 
.]  
This bill the Maori Trustee and Maori Development Amendment Bill will pass despite the actions of Dr Pita Sharples of the Maori Party in not conveying to this hardworking industrious very popular Minister to my right—the Hon Parekura Horomia—that they were withdrawing their support for this overdue example of institutional reform. This particular bill will ensure that the resources of the fund called the Maori Trustee are available to fulfil a modern purpose and able to be used to drive Maori into the future. Maori have a bright future but we must not allow future opportunities to be hobbled by legislation that is rooted in the colonial past and for those reasons it is a very very sad but predictable act that we have seen today from Dr Sharples. 
It is fair enough that the Hon Tau Henare should oppose this bill; he was born to oppose although he tried incessantly for the period of time he was the Minister. I have to confess he did some innovative things in his time although I cannot recollect one of them while I am on my feet. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Didn’t I put you on Poutama? 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: That reminds me—this bill will allow for any surplus funds in funds such as the Poutama Maori Business Trust or even the Crown Forestry Rental Trust to find a home in the future. That is why this bill provides an opportunity for future expansion. But of course all that lies in the future with the inevitable settlement of the claims which is why this is a brilliant vessel that has been modernised and through using the powers of this House the sovereignty of the House we are able to effect this overdue exercise in modernisation. [ 
Interruption 
] Mr Wayne Mapp seeks a call. 
This bill simply picks up on the work that earlier reviewers wrote about wasting time and ink and as a consequence of Parekura Horomia’s extremely expansive view into the future and a willingness to go to Nga Hau e Wha not a single tribe was overlooked by the Minister of Maori Affairs as he has sought to drag the Maori Trustee into the modern world. Tena koe e te Minita. To kaha ki te whakahau i tenei kaupapa mo te kaitiaki Maori pupuri i nga toenga whenua. 
[ 
Well done Minister. You have imposed your will very strongly on this proposal relating to the Maori Trustee and Maori Development Amendment Bill. 
] 
So all power to the Minister to care for the Maori Trustee modernise it and ensure that these increasingly fragmented pieces of land and ever increasingly smaller slivers of money can be brought together as we say in the Maori language whakatopu consolidated rationalised and brought together to fulfil a very strong purpose. Who knows? I have no doubt as perhaps Mr Henare and others fear it will grow and move away from the past when Maori were not able to exercise the right levels of accountability over this institution. This fund will inevitably grow through good stewardship which will reflect the quality of the decisions that the Minister makes. 
I commend this bill. Where it is capable of being refined I have no doubt that the fine minds of the select committee will effect that purpose. Kia ora tatou.