Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:645;Page:14746] 
11.  
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Does the Maori Trustee and Maori Development Amendment Bill seek to transfer $35 million of beneficiary moneys from funds for which the Maori Trustee is responsible to a new Maori business development fund? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 No. Funds held in trust by the Maori Trustee—unclaimed money and other funds owned by beneficiaries—will not be transferred to the Maori business development fund set up by the bill. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Why then in the Minister’s speech to the House in the first reading of the bill did he state that $35 million from the common fund from the Maori Trustee would be used to set up to establish this new entity? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: What I did say was to point out where the $35 million was coming from: the general purposes fund. The Crown Law Office has advised that the general purposes fund is owned by the Maori Trustee and that no other person has a claim over it. The general purposes fund has accumulated over many many years of the business activities of the Maori Trustee. No money held in trust for beneficiaries including unclaimed moneys will be transferred to the new entity. 
Moana Mackey 
: What value will come from establishing a new Maori economic and business development entity? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The new entity Maori Business Aotearoa New Zealand will accelerate Maori development by bringing together resources and expertise from across a range of existing functions and organisations including for example supporting opportunities for Maori economic growth. Other activities referred to in the bill include providing business advisory and mentoring services and providing networking and sector development services. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Madam Speaker— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Ask a question Georgie. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Finished Mallard? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have called the Hon Tau Henare. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: [ 
Interruption 
] Very shortly. Why were Maori who attended the consultation hui not told that Labour intended to pilfer $35 million of beneficiary money and spend it on people who are not beneficiaries? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Maori were told several facts as the hui were held around the country. During the consultation on the changes to the Maori Trustee participants wanted the Maori Trustee to take a leadership role in Maori development. This feedback has resulted in work that was already under way being progressed through the bill. Let me explain it again: the general purposes fund is the fund accumulated from interest rates. The Maori Trustee has the responsibility for paying out at 3 percent 4 percent and 5 percent and the remainder is accumulating. Following the introduction of the bill information about the bill—including the new economic development entity—was sent to approximately 49000 stakeholders. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Is not the real reason for this new fund an effort to set up an election-year slush fund to be administered by the Minister’s personal appointees free from Public Service scrutiny and neutrality who will dole out over $10 million in every Maori electorate seat in the country in a vain attempt to keep Maori tied to Labour’s purse strings rather than encouraging them to take control of their own future and become independent of this Government’s handouts? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I am perplexed to understand why that member over there does not want to join in encouraging positive advancement for Maori. At the end of the day that is what this is about. There have been Ministers of Maori Affairs before this time who did nothing—who did nothing. That fund has $60 million sitting in it and it is from interest rates. If that member understands the multiplicity and the fragmentation of our ownership then he will see that this is a very very good positive idea. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Has the Minister contacted those beneficiaries that he is about to pilfer $35 million from; if not when— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Do I need to draw your attention to what has just been said by the member? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Yes I think the member does. I cannot hear anything that is happening in the House at the moment and I assume that none of the other members want to hear either the questions or the answers given the level of noise. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Madam Speaker I would hate to suggest that I am better attuned to that member than you are but he very clearly made an unparliamentary suggestion about the Minister. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Madam Speaker the term that was used by the Hon Tau Henare was “pilfer”. He was asking the Minister whether he would engage in this exercise of pilfering money from beneficiaries. I think that “pilfer” is probably the wrong word but can I can ask Madam Speaker whether you would accept that he should be asking whether the Minister is appropriating from beneficiaries money that would otherwise belong to them. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No. I think I will first of all take part of the member’s helpful suggestion. The Hon Tau Henare should withdraw the term he used apologise and then rephrase his question. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I withdraw and apologise. Has the Minister contacted the beneficiaries of the $35 million and asked them for their view on the fact that $35 million of their money is being misappropriated? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I am not sure what is wrong with this member. It is a simple organisation. There are two separate funds the general purposes fund and the common fund and he should get it through his thick skull— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the Minister please be seated. Is there a point of order? [ 
Interruption 
] No the member has withdrawn his point of order. Have we heard the end of the answer? [ 
Interruption 
] Yes we have. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is this the same fund owned by 125000 beneficiaries that was imperilled by the Maori Trustee in the Quality Inn deal in 1991 which the previous National Government then supported against its then Minister of Maori Affairs and had him sacked and which concept was refloated in 1999 by the then Minister of Maori Affairs one Tau Henare? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Yes. And that is misappropriation at the end of the day.