Sowry Roger: General Debates 
Sowry Roger: General Debates 
[Volume:610;Page:7916] 
Hon ROGER SOWRY (Deputy Leader—NZ National) 
: 
 I want to talk about a time frame and a time line of deception that this Government has indulged in over the last few months. I will start with the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday 22 June when in the wake of a report from the court she was very strong that the ownership of our foreshore and seabed had long been considered to lie with the Crown. The following day she said: “Legislation would clarify this issue.” On Monday 23 June the Prime Minister announced that legislation would be the Government’s answer to the debate that had begun to rage in this nation on the ownership of our seabed and foreshore. 
For 7 weeks the Prime Minister has spun on this issue. She has waxed and waned and moved every way possible as she has tried to wriggle herself off the legislative hook she promised she would deliver to the House to guarantee New Zealanders ownership. In fact on the Monday the Prime Minister promised legislation; by the Wednesday she said that the legislation would not extinguish customary title. I say to her that no one ever thought it would. Everyone thought it would clarify ownership not customary title. By the end of the week the Prime Minister had the Labour Maori caucus up in arms totally opposing any legislation. She put Michael Cullen in to run the show and 9 days after the Prime Minister’s promise to this nation that there would be legislation Tariana Turia announced there would not be legislation on the issue. Who is right? The Prime Minister or Tariana Turia? We do not know. 
Three weeks ago the Prime Minister said that she would solve the issue and make the announcements the following week. That week came and went with no announcements. Last week she promised us an announcement this week and surprise surprise no announcement has been made this week. We have now been told that it will be next week when Parliament is not sitting. Next week when the matter will not be able to be debated next week when the Prime Minister will not have to answer any questions next week when she is being taken on a helicopter to some ski field there will be an announcement and we will find out who is right. Will it be Tariana Turia or the Prime Minister? Most members of our caucus are backing Tariana Turia. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Jill Pettis the Labour whip is backing Tariana Turia. She is saying that Tariana Turia is right and that there will not be legislation on this. That is what Jill Pettis is saying in Wanganui. She is not defending the Prime Minister back in Wanganui but she is very careful to defend Tariana Turia and the ownership rights around the Wanganui harbour and the Whanganui River. We know what Jill Pettis is saying. She is a lion in the Wanganui  
Chronicle 
—she is absolutely fierce in the  
Chronicle 
—and she delivers some very fierce one-line speeches when she moves motions in this House as well. 
This issue around the seabed and foreshore is a watershed issue for this Government and it does not know what to do about it. It is caught between doing what is right for all New Zealanders and being politically correct. I bet that the Government will go down the politically correct line. All New Zealanders will be the losers because they will no longer have exclusive ownership. I think there will be some cooked-up deals.