Peters Winston: General Debates 
Peters Winston: General Debates 
[Volume:615;Page:11304] 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Today New Zealand First offered Labour a way out of the tangle it is in over the foreshore and seabed. We offered Labour New Zealand First’s 13 votes to place the foreshore and seabed in Crown ownership to hold in trust for all New Zealanders. All we ask in return is for the Crown to have legal title that will eventually be extended to other parts of the environment. Traditional rights can be of use and can still be protected but they must not be described as a property title. A property title means ownership and I believe that simply will not be accepted by the mass majority of New Zealanders of all backgrounds. 
The present mess worrying hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders is the result of years of treaty madness. Labour and National have been equally insane and they have their fingerprints their DNA and their blood all over their hands. The record proves it. No amount of Damascus-type experience will change that in 2004. The essence of sound politics is to be consistent—to say what one means and to mean what one says. 
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith 
: Ha ha! 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: National members find that rather comical because it has come as an absolute surprise to them. But who was it that threw me out of the darned caucus the day after I opposed the Sealord’s deal? It was that party over there the party that seems now to say: “We’ve had no part in this mess.” Who was it that gave Doug Graham a knighthood for his Treaty of Waitangi mess and waste in enormous areas of Maori development in New Zealand? It was the National Party. 
New Zealand First has always held to the principle of being consistent and we will help the Government to get rid of the vague treaty principles that have been infecting legislation since the 1980s. Whilst I am at it where is this man who is a lion in front of the Rotary clubs and a lamb in Parliament? Where is this new orator I keep hearing about from the New Zealand media? They say this man has struck some great chord. Do they not understand that it will fade away very shortly? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Ha ha! 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Oh they will laugh but they will not be laughing— 
R Doug Woolerton 
: What did he say today? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: That is right. Where is the person who is meant to be out there leading the charge on this issue? Well unfortunately he has listened to Gerry Brownlee and it will not be long before it will be a jerrycan of issues. 
The New Zealand First Party was formed on issues like this. In our founding principles we say we believe in one law for everybody. Can that be found in National’s policy? No it cannot. Can it be found in Labour’s policy? No it cannot. We are talking about destiny and to those people in National who think they will win the next election I tell them to stop dreaming; it is not going to happen. It is simply not going to happen. No amount of ACT party support with its 1 percent in the polls will be of any merit whatsoever. 
At the last election we campaigned on fixing three things in 3 years. One was the Waitangi industry and separatist development in New Zealand. That was our campaign theme: to get rid of the treaty gravy train and separate development in this once-great country. Now is the time for action. Now is the time for putting aside the past and doing something concrete with regard to New Zealand’s future. It is not a time for political correctness. It is not a time for the political tyre kickers the bandwagoners and the political poltroons in the National Party who as I said have their DNA all over this issue. They might have had a bright shining light in respect of this issue but it is one on which they have no belief and commitment. As Mr Mallard rightly points out every time Don Brash is asked what his policy entails he does not know the answer. When he is asked: “Will you do this?” he says: “Well I haven’t thought about that yet.” or: “Will you get rid of this?” he says: “No I haven’t really come to that bridge yet.” 
Pita Paraone 
: Waiting for Georgina. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: What has happened to Georgina te Heuheu? Well he cannot tell members that either. It is a mess. How can he make a speech and claim to be definitive without having any background knowledge of what he would intend to do and what his policy is? In this party called New Zealand First is the image of New Zealand the way it will be one day very shortly. Here are people of all backgrounds: European Maori Scots Irish— 
Hon Member 
: Chinese. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: —part-Chinese. But we stood on one franchise. Unlike those National people we disowned ever going down a path of double franchise and we are here today as no other party is with fair representation.