Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 10 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15352. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to theAssociate Minister of Māori Affairs: Does he stand by all of his statements?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Associate Minister of Māori Affairs): No I do not. I once said that reforming Te Ture Whenua Maori Act which the Labour Government neglected to do could benefit the economy by up to $3 billion. In actual fact a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study commissioned by the Ministry for Primary Industries has estimated that the economic benefit to the nation of this reform could be up to $8 billion over 10 years and could create over 3400 new jobs.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does he stand by his statements that—and I quote him—“Access to the foreshore and seabed for recreation employment or simply for its own sake is a birthright. For all New Zealanders that should be protected in legislation.” and further that “equality is a fundamental bedrock principle of our constitution.”?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I made those statements in my capacity as Attorney-General when working to reform the disgusting foreshore and seabed legislation. They are not part of my delegation as Associate Minister of Māori Affairs.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can he still hold these views expressed in manifold positions as a politician and Minister when a minority is through the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act given by birth sole development rights to all—[Interruption] Well this might be a joke “Big Ears” but it is not to New Zealanders. It is not to New Zealanders.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can the member please—I know that he was responding to an interjection on this occasion. Could he just now start the question again so that we can get an answer.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Thank you Mr Speaker. How can he still hold that view expressed in numerous positions as a politician and as a Minister when a minority is through the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act given by birth sole development rights to all New Zealand’s minerals apart from gold silver uranium and petroleum?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Well the member has got the wrong end of the stick which is perhaps not surprising. I suggest he go to the letter from Dr Sharples to me dated 31 January 2012 where he set out my delegations as Associate Minister. Were he to do the right thing and put the question down to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations I would be very happy to answer that question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Not a bad sidestep. Is it not true that iwi have been granted mana tuku iho or universal recognition—Hon Paula Bennett: Not your best work.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! An interjection like that is not going to help us with the order of the House. Would the member start his—[Interruption] Order! Would the member start his question again.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it not true that iwi have been granted mana tuku iho—[Interruption]—no it does not mean wide Paula; it means universal recognition—over the whole foreshore and seabed giving them priority over even the Department of Conservation and where does that leave the rest of New Zealand?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Well as I said in the answer to the previous question he has got the wrong end of the stick. He should read the letter of delegation from Dr Sharples to me dated 31 January 2012 and he would see what my delegations are as Associate Minister. I am more than happy to answer any questions—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I thought that he would repeat that same objection to my question—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is a point of order.Rt Hon Winston Peters: —excepting he actually caught himself by the letter of delegation from Dr Pita Sharples. He is the Associate Minister of Māori Affairs and he should know exactly what Pita Sharples was asking for and under him got.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have before me the list of delegations for the Hon Chris Finlayson as the Associate Minister of Māori Affairs and his answer is satisfactory. Question No. 7 Paul—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Supplementary question—no so fast.Mr SPEAKER: I am just ensuring that we are out of here by Christmas Day.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well you will stay for as long as we take to get the truth—that is the fact of it.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member can ask his supplementary question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it not a fact—[Interruption] Relax boys. You are going to look far more nervous next year I tell you.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will give the member one more chance to ask a supplementary question otherwise we are moving on.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it not a fact that legislation promoted by him and the Minister of Māori Affairs has empowered iwi to now veto applications by ordinary New Zealanders for resource consent under the Resource Management Act for areas over which he has granted customary title?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: This is rather tiresome. I refer the member to the letter of 31 January 2012 to me from Dr Pita Sharples where he set out my role and responsibilities as his Associate Minister. I would be more than happy to answer the question but he has got to do the right thing and ask the right Minister the question and not hide behind some vague fatuous question about statements and responsibility.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That is a rather diverse and angry response. I never took the Judicature Modernisation Bill away from him and gave it to “Crusher” Collins; John Key did that and that is why he is so furious and angry. But back to this my supplementary question—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has just raised a point of order so if that point of order is now finished then I am going to say that it is not a point of order. Is the member now wanting a further supplementary question?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Most certainly.Mr SPEAKER: Oh great.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why is this Minister putting so much time and effort into legislation and programmes of apartheid and separatism that put this nation’s very future at risk?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I will try to not be provocative but can I suggest to the right honourable member that it would be very helpful if before he drafts a very lazy question he reads the statement of delegation.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Either he can answer the question that I put to him or he can deny it but he cannot just deviate and do what he likes as is his wont to do.Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: It is just not me in that capacity.Mr SPEAKER: The Minister has answered the question. What he said was that the way the question was phrased to him it does not come within his delegated authority. That is an answer given.Hon Trevor Mallard: That is not what he said at all.Mr SPEAKER: Well it is very difficult to understand quite what is right. I think that the easiest way forward—because it is close to Christmas—is that I am going to invite the member to ask his question again.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Thank you very much. Why is he putting so much time and effort into legislation and programmes that lead to apartheid and separatism and put this nation’s very future at risk?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I have particular delegations given to me by Dr Sharples in a letter dated 31 January 2012. They include a specific responsibility in relation to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act. If he had asked me that question as Attorney-General I would have said that he was the one supporting apartheid by stopping Māori from going to court—something that was profoundly offensive.