Okeroa Mahara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Okeroa Mahara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3908] 
5.  
MAHARA OKEROA (NZ Labour—Te Tai Tonga) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: What approaches is the Government taking to promote and support Maori language? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 The Government is committed to promoting and supporting the use of Maori language and has funded a wide range of initiatives in the broadcasting education and community sectors including to name a few the development of Maori language teaching and learning materials continuing the establishment of kura kaupapa further scholarships in bilingual teacher study awards and the Ma Te Reo fund. There are many more. 
Bill Gudgeon 
: Why is there a delay in promoting te reo and tikanga through Maori Television and what action is he taking to overcome this delay? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Let me repeat what I said a couple of weeks ago. We are well on the way to getting to the launching date in the sense of the appointment of the chief executive officer and I am pleased to inform the member that a whole lot of the activities in the production are under way. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: Did he see the recent speech made by the Associate Minister of Maori Affairs the Hon John Tamihere condemning current Government policies in relation to Maori underachievement and the subsequent description of that speech by a former Minister of Maori Affairs the Hon Dover Samuels as “visionary” and can the Minister tell the House how the initiatives he has just described will alleviate the concerns expressed by both those Ministers particularly in relation to welfare dependency? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I not only read my colleague’s statements; I heard them for several days. I assure the member that I am a person of action and am taking strategic decisions to ensure that we get on with it and as she will see we have the Maori language strategy that has taken 16 years to come together. You spent 9 years doing nothing. We have done something about it. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The suggestion that you have spent 9 years doing nothing is simply outrageous. That member has been around long enough to know a few things about how answers in Parliament must be couched. It is an insult to you and I want to see it cease right now. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: He has; I was. I am a reasonable person and I would hope he does not make that mistake again. 
Mahara Okeroa 
: What impact are these initiatives having on the health of the Maori language? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Research by Te Puni Kokiri has highlighted that the health of the Maori language has stabilised that Maori are optimistic about future growth and development and that participation by whanau and family pervades heavily in this country. The language is surviving. 
Rodney Hide 
: In promoting and supporting te reo is he satisfied with the manner in which Te Mangai Paho has distributed—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I just caution members that I want to hear questions in silence. Please start again. 
Rodney Hide 
: They are continuing. There has been— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Please ask the question. I have asked the member to start again. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. No sooner had you ruled than the Hon. Dover Samuels and Taito Philip Field proceeded to yell and interrupt my question exactly after you had ruled. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I told the member to start the question again. I have not heard him start. When he does start again if there is any comment made that person will leave. 
Rodney Hide 
: In promoting and supporting te reo is he satisfied with the manner in which Te Mangai Paho has distributed and administered its distribution of funds for this purpose; if so why? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: It is the responsibility of that organisation and generally I am satisfied with it. 
Pita Paraone 
: How does the provision of an ultra high frequency channel to establish a Maori television service specifically to “promote te reo me ona tikanga”do this when many of those who may wish to access this service and therefore increase their te reo me ona tikanga skills may not be able to afford to do so? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Let me repeat: UHF transmission through BCL has proved to be reliable and a commercially attractive option for Prime Television TAB and Sky. There is no difference in the quality between UHF and VHF. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This Minister is being asked a relatively simple question understood in particular by many people who live in Ngapuhi an area that has the biggest tribe or iwi in this country. My colleague is not asking about the quality of the service; he is asking about the availability of distribution accessibility and cost in respect of the Maori people particularly those who are out of that area of communications. It is a simple question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I heard the question and I will ask the Minister to comment further. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: An estimated 800000 homes already have UHF aerials. Initial transmission will provide coverage for 75 percent of the general population and a fair bit of that in Ngapuhi and 70 percent of Maori. The second stage will expand coverage to 86 percent of the Maori population.