Samuels Dover: General Debates 
Samuels Dover: General Debates 
[Volume:607;Page:4215] 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS (Minister of State) 
: 
 Kia ora. I want to talk about something quite different. I want to talk about the privilege accorded to members of Parliament to make comments in this House under privilege. Quite clearly that is a kawa and a protocol that has evolved over many years and should be protected diligently in terms of the context. 
In the last 2 days I have witnessed allegations and attacks upon a Maori organisation—namely Maori Sportscasting International Ltd. It is an organisation that is well known for its integrity right around Maoridom in terms of its ability to broadcast sports occasions right throughout New Zealand in te reo Maori. When I hear the verbal abuse from Rodney Hide and the unsubstantiated allegations that have been made against a company and against individuals who have no recourse in terms of answering those allegations I think it is time to look at the issue of parliamentary privilege. 
I am standing here today to inform this House and to defend Hemana Waaka and his company in terms of the allegations made by Rodney Hide. His name is not “Harmony Waaka” but “Hemana Waaka”. Perhaps Rodney Hide could go to a kohanga reo and learn Maori so that he can pronounce “Te Mangai Paho”. Perhaps he could take some lessons from his colleague Donna Huata. She is certainly more prominent in Maori than he is. Some of the allegations that Mr Hide has made against that company are completely outrageous. 
Then he has tried to imply things somehow in some way simply because my colleague John Tamihere and I got an invitation sometime in June last year to attend a function. I want to read to the House what the invitation said: “Maori Sportscasting International Te Reo Whakapaoho Takaro o Te Ao Ltd requests the pleasure of the company of the Hon Dover Samuels at our inaugural awards and dinner to be held at the Lakeside Convention Centre Boardwalk Room Montgomery Street Mangere Auckland.” 
I know that many many members of this House and many Ministers receive such invitations. Would it be prudent would it be protocol for me to say: “Sorry I can’t go there.”? Would it be prudent for me to ask: “Who’s going to pay the bill?” before I even respond? We all know that we receive hundreds and hundreds of such invitations and we reply accordingly. 
In this event we went. We went to the presentation of the awards. At those awards there were a number of prominent Maori including the late Sir John Turei. He was there and he was there to support the kaupapa and this company and this firm in terms of its ability and its desire to uplift our young people in this profession of broadcasting sports in te reo right throughout this country. I say to Rodney Hide that I fronted up. I fronted up and I supported it. I fronted up along with my colleague John Tamihere red rosette and all—and I would have worn two if I had been asked. Let me say that there is nobody who is going to stop me from wearing a Labour Party rosette at any function that I desire to go to. 
I put the same challenge to Rodney Hide in terms of fronting up. Yes we fronted up. Yes we can understand that there was a certain amount of funding that went to the organisation that paid for that dinner but I want Rodney Hide to front up about the rort that he conducted in Fiji. He inspired people to go to a conference in Fiji at which New Zealanders got ripped off to the extent of $10 million whereas what we are talking about here is $5500. Yes that is a lot of money but members should compare it with that figure of $10 million in relation to Rodney Hide. He has not fronted up. He has not fronted up to the New Zealanders who were ripped off whom he ripped off and whom he encouraged to be ripped off.