Mackey Janet: Third Readings 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Mackey Janet: Third Readings 
[Sitting date: 14 December 2004. Volume:622;Page:17780. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JANET MACKEY (Labour—East Coast) 
: 
 The chairperson of the Primary Production Committee keeps referring to the lack of a paper trail regarding the inclusion in this settlement of Maori’s 20 percent. All that he needs to do is to read the Waitangi Tribunal report and if he wants a paper trail I am happy to table that report at the end of my speech. Doug Kidd thought that Treasury wanted to bring aquaculture into the quota management system and he personally forbade Treasury officials from mentioning the matter during discussions of the deed of settlement because it would have confused an already complex set of negotiations. As Mike Moore always said: “If they don’t hear it the first time say it another 99 times and it may get through.” I think that is very good evidence on the record in the Waitangi Tribunal report that this matter was not considered at the time of the fisheries deed of settlement. 
I am very surprised at the voting patterns of parties in the House today. I will probably exclude ACT from that because we all know there is no rhyme nor reason to the way ACT votes. I am very fond of Gerrard Eckhoff and I think he is a very fine member of the select committee but ACT is entirely in another ether when it comes to logical decisions about the best way to vote and what is good for people. 
I had a phone call this morning from one of the people from the industry who worked very hard with the committee. He said to me: “Janet can you tell me why National is voting against this legislation? We came to the select committee with a wish list and the select committee the Minister and the officials have delivered what we asked for. This legislation is good for the industry so why is National voting against it?”. I said to that person: “I think it is a cunning political strategy on behalf of the National Party. It was probably engineered by Don Brash and I think it is probably going to have the same result as every other decision that Don Brash has made!”. I told him: “I think you need to ask the National Party why it is not supporting it.” He said: “You know what? I don’t think I’ll bother.” 
I have been very disappointed in the debate that has carried on over the course of yesterday and today and I have been very disappointed to hear the select committee chairman deliberately I believe misrepresent the facts when it comes to the 20 percent for Maori. Let us be quite clear that at the end of the day Maori will get 20 percent of the aquaculture. They will not get 40 percent. It may be that in order to address what has already been allocated they will need to get 40 percent of new applications in some areas. But to pretend to people listening or to people in the gallery that the Labour Government is giving Maori more than they should ever get is simply the Orewa speech all over again. It has been done and it failed. I suggest to National members that they look at this legislation for what it is: an honest attempt to include all New Zealanders in the opportunity that this new fishery provides for us. 
One of the most interesting votes in the House has been that of Tariana Turia. I hope her supporters around the country are listening to her cast her vote with ACT and National. I think that is a very good portent of what the future would hold for Maoridom if Tariana Turia was returned to this House. That a member of the Maori Party can cast her vote with parties that are continually scratching the sore in the hope they will benefit from it at the next election says to me that Maori Party activists or supporters around the country should be very very scared. I have no idea why that member is voting against this legislation which is good legislation for Maori. But I was never too sure just what bee Tariana Turia had in her bonnet on a certain day and I have no idea what has possessed her this time. But I say to Maori around the country who as a result of this legislation will be able to participate in aquaculture in the future that their interests have been well-served by Labour by the Progressives by New Zealand First and by the Greens. Maori should take note.