7. Question No. 7—Māori Crown Relations: Te ArawhitiHon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour) to the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te ArawhitiQuestion No. 7—Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti7. Hon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour) to the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti: What plans if any does the Government have to discuss its policies at Waitangi next week?Hon TAMA POTAKA (Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti): He pātai wero hinengaro he whakaharahara hoki tērā. Kāore e kore ka nui hoki ngā kōrero mō ngā kaupapa here a tēnei Kāwanatanga haumi me ngā mahuetanga pōuri a te Kāwanatanga tawhito ki te ātea ki te kāuta ki te pae kōrero ki te pari kārangaranga ka rangona e aku taringa kitea e aku karu rongo.[That is a mind-bending question and a somewhat terrible one too. Without doubt there will be a lot of discussion about the policies of this coalition Government and the sad leavings of the old Government on the marae in the kitchen on the orators' benches and echoing off the cliffs that will be heard by my ears and seen by my eyes.]Hon Willie Jackson: Rawe ki te whakarongo ki tō tātou reo. Mihi ana ki te Minita kei te tautoko i tō tātou reo mā te kōrero i te reo. E mihi ana ki a koe e hoa engari ka kōrero Pākehā ahau kia mōhio ai te Whare katoa.[It's awesome to listen to our language. I acknowledge the Minister that is supporting our language by speaking our language. I thank you my friend but I will speak English so that the entire House understands.]I'm just mihi-ing to our Minister—SPEAKER: Yes I know you have and it's outside the rules.Hon Willie Jackson: —because it's wonderful that he's speaking our language. SPEAKER: Just stick to the question Willie.Hon Willie Jackson: I'm just saying I want to speak English so everybody understands and ask him this: who should New Zealanders believe: Minister David Seymour who says there is no partnership with Māori; or the Prime Minister who confirmed today that he views the Treaty of Waitangi as akin to a partnership between the Crown and Māori which has been the position of every Prime Minister since 1984 and will the Prime Minister and the Minister of Māori Development reiterate that at Waitangi?Hon David Seymour: Point of order Mr Speaker. I hesitate to interrupt but I don't believe I've ever said there's no partnership with Māori; I have said that the Treaty is not a partnership between races and shouldn't be characterised that way.SPEAKER: That's a fair defence of a position that was put. Put the question again without that in it.Hon Willie Jackson: From the beginning: who should New Zealanders believe the Hon David Seymour who rejects that there is a partnership with Māori; or the Prime Minister who confirmed today that he views the Treaty of Waitangi as akin to a partnership between the Crown and Māori which has been the position of every Prime Minister—National and Labour—since 1984 and will the Prime Minister reiterate that at Waitangi?Hon TAMA POTAKA: New Zealanders should take the time to learn about Te Tiriti o Waitangi—the Treaty of Waitangi—and come to their own views.Hon Willie Jackson: Point of order Mr Speaker. I don't believe the Minister went anywhere near the question or the answer—there was nothing.SPEAKER: Well with all due respect you asked him to venture an opinion on two particular positions; he then answered you by saying that all New Zealanders should come to their own position on those and I think that's not unreasonable.Hon Willie Jackson: Yeah thanks for that Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: If you want further clarification see me later.Hon Willie Jackson: Yeah kia ora kia ora Mr Speaker. Does the Minister agree with the very respectable and well-supported National Party members Dame Jenny Shipley Jim Bolger Doug Graham and Chris Finlayson who all support the partnership principle and are adamant that we should get rid of the Treaty principles bill and is he planning on discussing that at Waitangi?Hon TAMA POTAKA: As the Prime Minister has reminded us today we have not yet seen a Treaty principles bill being brought in front of the members.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister as to whether this is the problem about trying to establish what the relationship means or is it a fact that on 5 February 1840 no one in the British Empire from which the sun never set including the people living next to Queen Victoria in Buckingham Palace was in partnership with the Queen how could the Māori be two days later? So it's a relationship we're working on now; not the fiction of some people in this Parliament.Hon TAMA POTAKA: My response to that reflection and question by the Deputy Prime Minister is: we reiterate that Te Tiriti o Waitangi the Treaty of Waitangi is an absolute sacrosanct document fundamental to this country's past present and future and it will help us get the country back on track after what we've ended up with in the last three years.Hon Willie Jackson: Does the Minister's iwi support the Treaty principles bill and will he be discussing that with his iwi at Waitangi?SPEAKER: No no sorry; that question's out of order. He's only got responsibility for his ministerial position. The member can ask another question inside his allocation of supplementaries.Hon Willie Jackson: Thank you Mr Speaker. Are the Minister and the Prime Minister planning to attend and participate in any of the forum tents at Waitangi; if so which one and if not why not?Hon TAMA POTAKA: It is scheduled that I will be participating in the forum tent at Waitangi and I look forward to the humble hospitality of manaakitanga that Te Tai Tokerau is renowned for. Kia ora tātou.Hon Shane Jones: To the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti can the Minister confirm during the Waitangi period of time the Government will be focused on concrete measurable key performance indicator - orientated results for our rangatahi housing and health rather than transcendental notions contained in the He Puapua United Nations report?Hon Willie Jackson: Point of order Mr Speaker. That's clearly out of line isn't it? He can't answer that. It's such a stupid question.SPEAKER: No no the problem the member's got is that the Minister is the Minister for Crown-Māori relations; therefore he must have some responsibility for the Government's view on the document cited by the Hon Shane Jones. Therefore the question stands.Hon TAMA POTAKA: In my Wanganui dialect ana. Yes we will be absolutely committed to ruthlessly focusing on the outcomes of education housing health and many other things that have been left behind for our various Māori communities throughout the motu. Tēnā tātou.