Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:621;Page:16708] 
6.  
METIRIA TUREI (Green) 
 to the  
Deputy Prime Minister 
: Has the Government received any urgent requests for information from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination regarding the Foreshore and Seabed Bill; if so what is the nature of those requests? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes we received a request from the committee on 20 August seeking further advice on the timetable and process for discussion and adoption of the Foreshore and Seabed Bill. 
Metiria Turei 
: How does the Minister justify the statement made in the Government’s response to the committee that the debate “indicates an open process of engagement by a Government with New Zealanders interested in the issues at stake” when only 232 of the 1800 submitters who wanted to be heard were heard because Government members on the select committee denied the committee extra time to hear properly and address New Zealanders’ concerns? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Mr Speaker am I responsible for the select committee? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister may comment briefly. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Firstly of course a discussion document was put out for public submissions. We then had a full select committee process which went for the 6 months required. A number of the countries represented on the committee that we wrote to would not have a select committee process at all for Government legislation. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Will the Government support the recommendation of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to allow existing reclamation applications for freehold title to the foreshore and seabed yet cut off the 18 applications for customary title filed prior to the NgatiApa case and how does he justify the blatant discrimination against tangata whenua in favour of private companies? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The member will have to wait for the final shape of the Supplementary Order Paper which is still under discussion. 
Metiria Turei 
: Does the Government support the recommendation of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to confiscate Te Whanga lagoon in the Chatham Islands under the bill when this lagoon does not fall within the definition of foreshore and seabed when the department admits that it is an anomaly and when the applications by iwi for customary status have been filed with the Maori Land Court since 1993? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The member will have to wait for the final shape of the Supplementary Order Paper. In respect of the particular case she refers to there are of course competing claims to the lagoon. 
Keith Locke 
: How much are New Zealand’s efforts to gain a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Committee being undermined by this complaint to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination coming on top of the recent criticism by the United Nations Committee Against Torture of the security risk certificate procedure applying to Ahmed Zaoui and the imprisonment of people like Mr Zaoui for long periods in solitary confinement? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Mr Zaoui is free to cross over the foreshore and seabed at any time which is more than one can say for some of the countries represented on the United Nations Human Rights Committee at the present stage.