Finlayson Christopher: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Finlayson Christopher: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:640;Page:10491] 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) 
: 
 I want to speak to Vote Treaty Negotiations at page 1261 of the estimates. When this vote was being discussed in the Maori Affairs Committee I really looked forward to having some important questions answered and to gaining a greater appreciation of what the Minister is doing to secure the just speedy and durable settlement of Treaty grievances. Well more fool me because I should have known better than to have any expectations of this Minister even low ones. The select committee process raised more questions than it answered. Trying to get this Minister to answer questions is like trying to pin jelly to a wall. 
I can recall questioning the Minister about “large natural groupings” because the Office of Treaty Settlements tells potential claimants that the Crown looks to negotiate with such groupings. But certainly one cannot tell what a large natural grouping is by following what the Office of Treaty Settlements does. For example the Office of Treaty Settlements refused to engage with six claimant groups in Tamaki partly on the basis that they did not comprise a single large natural grouping yet it happily negotiated with one of the four NgatiWhatuawhanui subtribes. It is that kind of behaviour that generates such uncertainty among claimant groups and creates such hurt and disillusion. 
As of today 19 final settlements have been reached. Fourteen settlements have required legislation and five smaller but no less important settlements have not. Of the 19 settlements 10 were taken from negotiation to final settlement under National in the 1990s and negotiations on another eight were initiated by National. But since late 1999 under this useless Government negotiations have been started and taken through to final settlement in—how many I wonder? 
Chris Auchinvole 
: How many? 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: In just one I tell Mr Auchinvole. The Minister told the House less than 4 weeks ago that 21 settlements have been completed but the Minister has counted two settlements that have yet to have their legislation passed as being completely finished and requiring no further effort by this Government. I will leave other members to draw their own conclusions about the Minister’s arithmetical skills. 
But perhaps the Minister’s careful attention to detail explains why the legislative process in this area has lurched forward with all the momentum of a beached whale. Under National settlement legislation took an average of 9 months to be passed from the date when a deed of settlement was signed but under Labour it now takes almost 21 months. Let us face it: the record of this Minister is very poor. It is even worse than that of his predecessor whose main achievement was to put all negotiations on hold until she was ready for them. She will go down in history as the “Minister in Charge of Stopping Treaty Negotiations”. 
When Mr Burton appeared before the select committee on 13 June he assured us there were no problems with regard to the Crown’s negotiating process with NgatiWhatua yet 2 days later the Waitangi Tribunal delivered what was probably its most damning indictment of the Crown ever. The tribunal condemned the Crown’s behaviour as “cavalier” “unfair” “generally uncooperative” “providing only partial answers to questions” and “being less than open” in its dealings with the tribunal. The tribunal referred to the Crown’s behaviour as leaving other tangata whenua groups feeling degraded and insulted. Yet we had the spectacle of this Minister telling the select committee that the Crown’s behaviour was acceptable. The question that really does need to be asked is whether the Minister is even aware of what is happening in his own portfolio. 
What is clearly needed in the Treaty settlements area is political leadership and some real enthusiasm for the job. We had political leadership under National with Jim Bolger and Doug Graham; we have not had it in the 9 dreary years of this Clark-led Labour Government. Just a few minutes ago we had the Minister going on in his pre-prepared speech about the so-called awful 1990s. Labour members love talking about the 1990s. Well one thing they do not talk about from the 1990s is the record of the National Government in the Treaty settlements area. They know that under Doug Graham and Jim Bolger that record was outstanding and they also know that under this Government the performance is quite simply lamentable. This Minister is a failure and his predecessor was a failure. I am sure that all Maori look forward to the day when National can take the Treasury benches and finish the job.