Collins Judith: General Debates 
Collins Judith: General Debates 
[Volume:610;Page:7454] 
JUDITH COLLINS (NZ National—Clevedon) 
: 
 We always know we have Government members upset when they spend their entire speaking time attacking the National Party. If that is all they have to say they might as well go home. 
The claims made by some Maori to take ownership of our seabed and foreshore is the biggest issue to face this nation for decades. The Prime Minister the Rt Hon Helen Clark has dithered and slithered all over it. First she said that the Labour Government would legislate to protect the Crown’s interests and thereby all New Zealanders’ interests. Then the Maori Labour MPs said: “Let’s not ruin our relationship with the few Maori who benefit from these spurious claims.” Now what do we have from Labour? Mahara Okeroa said: “Public access is a non-issue because it doesn’t exist.” That is worth repeating: “Labour MP says ‘Public access is a non-issue because it doesn’t exist.’ ” 
On 22 June Helen Clark and Margaret Wilson said: “Ownership of the foreshore and seabed has long been considered to lie with the Crown.” That was the first position. On 25 June Helen Clark told Parliament that the Government has not said that it is bringing in law to extinguish customary title. She did not quite say what it was doing though. Parekura Horomia has probably best stated the position of this Labour Government when on 15 July he said: “I am here as a member of Ngati Porou and as a Minister of the Crown. I can’t deny that.”—he probably wanted to—“I don’t want to distract from the hui. It’s not the place. There will be some talk here and whatever comes out of the hui I’m sure it will be a Maori view.” That is what we are paying that man for. 
As at this morning 50000 New Zealanders have signed our on-line petition to keep our beaches foreshore and seabed exactly that—ours for all New Zealanders and not just for one racial group or one privileged class. Access to our beaches our foreshore and our seabed is a basic right for New Zealanders. It is a defining right for New Zealanders. All New Zealanders have had that right assured and accepted for at least 160 years if not for more. This is the one issue that is dividing this country. 
Every time people like us in the National Party the ACT party and now United Future come out and say that this is not good enough what happens? We get abused by the deputy leader of the Labour Government and we are told that we are inciting racial hatred. No we are not! We are saying to the people of New Zealand that we will stand up for them—that is all New Zealanders: Maori Pakeha Chinese Samoan or whatever. If people are New Zealanders then we are happy to have them and to tell them to use the beaches. That is what it is about. This Labour Government is driving a wedge into this country. It is pandering to a few at the expense of the many. The many always pay for just a few. 
We all know that these claims are all about money. There would never have been any claims in relation to our beaches foreshore and seabed if it were not because there is a monetary claim in the wings. If we did not have an aquaculture industry we would not have a claim and that is the truth of it. That is the sort of truth that the Labour Government cannot stand because it is the truth. It is not a big word; Labour Government members should be able to say it. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: They’re strangers to it. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Yes Mr Shirley is quite right they are strangers to it. The people of New Zealand have had enough. They will not accept deals or accept having their rights taken away from them. They will not accept this further splitting up of our country by a Government that will do anything to stay in power. This Government is quite literally selling our country down the river. That is what it is doing. It does not care about the future of New Zealand. Most of the people in it have never done a day’s work in their lives. As far as they are concerned they are quite happy for someone else to pay for it. This particular country is a country that has built itself on freedom—that is on a freedom to walk our beaches and to use our beaches. Every person in this country lives within about 2 hours of the beaches. Every person in New Zealand has a right to get the food from the foreshore and he or she will not be denied it. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.