Cosgrove Clayton: Human Rights (One Law For All) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Cosgrove Clayton: Human Rights (One Law For All) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:632;Page:4052] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Associate Minister of Justice) 
: 
 There are times in this Parliament when one hopes that people will rise to the occasion and in a bizarre sort of way the sort of David Duke of New Zealand politics as he is now known—Rodney Hide—has risen or fallen I suppose to the occasion. Mr Hide might want to reflect on who David Duke was. He was a former Southern state representative who ran I believe for President of the United States a few years ago and was found out for his beliefs on race. I think it had something to do with white sheets and hats or whatever. But however he may want to reflect on that history. 
One looks at this bill and has to say that it is a typical contemporary ACT bill. I am sure that Sir Roger Douglas the founder of the ACT party—whether or not one agreed with Sir Roger—would look at this tonight and agree with his conclusion that he would like to disassemble the ACT party completely. Because the ACT party did not reflect again—politics aside and whether or not one agreed with Sir Roger—what he wanted. He wanted a party of ideas. He wanted a party that would contribute to the strength and fabric of our community not a party of the sewer and not a party of David Dukes. If one looks at this bumper sticker which I call a campaign pamphlet—but Dr Cullen is right it is a bumper sticker not over Mr Hide’s eyes but more suited to his mouth—and if one looks at the ACT party this is a typical contemporary ACT party bill. 
What does this bill stand for? It uses a nice little neat slogan that people who may not have the privilege of information or education as much as our good selves here might just sort of click on to. But then when one digs deeper one finds that this piece of paper is all about wrenching and scraping the scab off the wound that is the issue of race in this country. Mr Hide has told us about his road to Damascus paso doble experience which was the greatest rapture of his life. He said that he found all his new ideas and his new statesmanship on the dance floor and he is going to come to this House a new man. Well I suppose in some ways he is—physically but not mentally. 
This is the party of course if one looks at this bill that if Mr Hide had been in power God forbid in 1938 when Sir Apirana Ngata went to Michael Joseph Savage and said: “My people want to contribute to New Zealand’s effort to one of the worst conflicts brewing in Europe that we have ever seen.”—World War II—would have said no. It would have been Mr Hide the new David Duke of the House who would have said: “No the Government cannot provide a unit specifically for Maori.” called as we know now as we look around at the shields and crests on the wall the Maori Battalion. Because of course that would be some sort of privilege based only on race. Well I look back and one of the reasons I am standing here and one of the reasons we all stand in this Chamber is because of the massive contribution that not only the Maori Battalion made but all New Zealanders made. The Maori Battalion had a unique place; it was a unique unit and a unique battalion within our armed forces. But Mr Hide of course would have said no. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: We’ve moved on. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Yes we have moved on but I tell Dr Mapp as an ex-military person and sitting beside an ex-military person Dr Worth that it is worth reflecting on the history. Of course we have had one of the worst tragedies in the Kahui family in the last couple of weeks. Domestic violence is based not only in the Maori community and the Pakeha community it is across all communities. But under Mr Hide’s proposition any sectoral funding to say low socio-economic people—race aside—where race may well be a factor say in health as Maori are more likely to get diabetes than Pakeha oh no we cannot help the most vulnerable. ACT says: “Let us twist that around in the psyche and let us tell all our rich ACT mates that somebody else might be getting a bit more help than us because they need it.” Of course Alan Gibbs on his big fat salary and his big fat fortune does not need that—but he funds a few call centres I am told—so a certain sector of the community should feel bitter and twisted. Well I say to Mr Hide that the little scab the little 5 or 2 or 3 percent of New Zealand that he is trying to scrape together in his little hands based on hate and based on nastiness to boost his little poll rating will not work. In conclusion I say that Kiwis at the end of the day all politics aside—it does not matter what political party they support—are fair minded. As the Maori proverb goes: He tangata he tangata he tangata it is people it is people it is people and Kiwis of any race—as the stumpy one over there laughs—will see this bill for what it is: shallow pathetic and nasty.