Paraone Pita: Business of Select Committees — Appointments 
Paraone Pita: Business of Select Committees — Appointments 
[Volume:614;Page:10564] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 I want to ask why we are having to consider this motion when clearly there is an existing select committee that could deal with it. A number of earlier speakers have asked why these matters could not be dealt with by the Maori Affairs Committee and I also ask that question. 
The decision to create some sort of ad hoc multiparty creation is simply a device to avoid embarrassing this Government. The Government’s attempts to wriggle off the hook of its own making will only create further embarrassment and it is a slap in the face for the Maori Affairs Committee and indeed for the Maori Labour members of Government. What of the communities that those members represent—or are supposed to represent? I am talking about the communities of Te Tai Tokerau Tamaki Makaurau Waikato Waiariki Te Tai Hauauru Te Tai Tonga and Ikaroa Rawhiti. They are the people who put these members into Parliament to represent them. Why are they not being recognised in terms of this whole issue? 
I want to ask a question about the chairmanship of this proposed committee. What is wrong with the member from Te Tai Tonga? Why has he not been charged with the responsibilities of chairing this new ad hoc committee? Why is it that when we talk about things Maori we talk about Maoris having vested interests and that we cannot actually trust them? Why is that? If we are going to say that Mr Mahara Okeroa’s workload is such that he cannot do this then what about Mr Dave Hereora or Moana Mackey—the only two other Maori members in the Government who have not been given positions? 
Dail Jones 
: What about Tariana Turia? 
PITA PARAONE 
: Tariana Turia already has a whole lot of associate portfolios. I look across to the Government benches. Where are the Maori members? Are they too ashamed to be here to discuss these issues? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member cannot say that. The member cannot refer to the absence of members. 
PITA PARAONE 
: I ask you Mr Speaker why they are not here tonight. Is it because they are so ashamed or have they been told to remain in their offices? I ask you Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No. The member cannot refer to the absence of members. If he does it again his speech will be terminated. 
PITA PARAONE 
: Should I ask why those members are not taking a call on this matter? I ask why they are not taking a call. Have they been instructed not to? This is a very important issue for Maoridom and indeed for New Zealand yet they are not permitted to participate in this debate. I say that they need to be accountable to their electorate—to the people who put them in Parliament and who trusted them to represent their views in this House—yet they are not doing that. In particular they are not doing that in this debate. 
New Zealand First will not be supporting the motion to establish this committee. As part of our opposition to the establishment of that committee New Zealand First will not be participating in it. We believe that this is an issue brought on by this Government and its members need to address it themselves. 
Hon Rick Barker 
: What constituency does that member stand for? 
PITA PARAONE 
: The member on that side of the House may want to interject but it does not alter the fact that this matter is really a slap in the face to Maori and in particular to the Maori members.