Flavell Te Ururoa: Inquiries Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Inquiries Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 July 2009. Volume:656;Page:5212. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tatau katoa. E Te Manatu o te Whare ki te ata titiro ki te Komihana Karauna o te tau 1988 katahi ka kitea atu te hohonutanga o nga Komihana Pakirehua. Na tenei komihana i para te ara i nga tau e rua tekau ma tahi kua taha ake.Na taua komihana i ki me aro ake te Karauna ki nga kaupapa o te Tiriti o Waitangi. I puta nga whakatau e toru kaupapa e toru ara  te mahi ngatahi te kaupapa tiaki te kaupapa kia whai wahi te katoa—i reira i whakaturia ai kia noho te Tiriti hei putake korero ma rua tekau tau neke atu. 
Engari i puta mai tetahi korero whakahirahira i taua Komihana. Na te ahorangi nei na Meihana Durie i whakaputa. E tika ana kia ata tirohia taua korero me tana panga ki tenei pire hei ara putanga e whai ake nei nga korero ra: 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to us all.If the 1988 Royal Commission on Social Policy were examined the significance of commissions of inquiry would be understood better. It was this ground-breaking commission 21 years ago that declared that the provisions of the Treaty require that the Crown must respect the principles of the Treaty. 
The enunciation of these principles—partnership protection and participation—helped set the foundation for the Treaty discourse for the next two decades and more.  
But there was a particular statement reported back from the Royal Commission on Social Policy by Professor Mason Durie that is so remarkable that it must be considered in this Inquiries Bill as a model of the quality of outcomes we can expect and I quote: 
] 
“The Commission believes that the Treaty is always speaking and that it has relevance to all economic and social policies. Not only must the past be reviewed in light of its principles but the Treaty’s promise must also be seen as fundamental to those principles which will underline social well-being in years to come.” 
He motuhake te noho a te komihana mo nga take a-iwi a te Karauna na te whanui me te wharoa o tona titiro. Mai i taua wa tae noa ki enei ra ka kitea ona tapuwae i te whanuitanga o nga kaupapa ahuatanga a-iwi. Ko te mea miharo i whakairia ai e taua komihana i hangai tonu te Tiriti o Waitangi ki nga kaupapa ahuatanga a-iwi ki nga kaupapa ohaoha ano hoki. Koia nei tetahi kaupapa kua whakahaerehia ara ki te whakarongo ki te whanuitanga o nga tumanako o te Maori a kia whakakohatia ki runga pepa. 
Engari ehara i te mea he tauira motuhake taua Komihana Karauna 
.  
Ara ano te Royal Commission on the Electoral System 
i whakaturia e te Karauna nana tonu i whakatakoto i te korero kia whai a Aotearoa i te MMP i te tau 1986 i te 11 o Tihema ara o Hakihea. No te tau 2001 i puta te purongo a te Royal Commission on Genetic Modification 
me wa ratou kupu awhina ko ta ratau me tupato wa tatau raweke haere i te whakapapa o te tangata me ata tatari i nga raruraru ka puta. A ka mutu e kore e taea e te tangata kotahi i tenei Whare te aro kore ki te Komihana a te Karauna mo te whakahaeretanga o Tamaki-makau-rau. Mena e pokaikaha ana koutou e te minenga e te Whare koutou ma mo nga korero kua whakaputaina e au me hoki pea nga whakaaro ki te hikoi i Takaparawha i te 25 o Haratua i tenei tau. Ki reira ka kitea te whanui o te whakaoreoretanga o te hinengaro o te tangata whenua.  
Na i runga i tera kei te ahua noho tumeke tonu te ngakau ki ta te Aka Matua a te Ture me tana tono kia whakarerekengia kia whakahoungia te ahuatanga o te Komihana Pakirehua. Ki taku mohio ko tana hiahia ki te whakakore i nga Komihana katoa. Ko ta ratau kia rua anake nga momo pakirehua ko tetahi he pakirehua a-iwi ko tetahi ma te Kawanatanga—ma nga minita—a me whakakorea nga Komihana a te Karauna me tona momo. Hoi ano ko ta te Kawanatanga whakatau me noho tonu te Komihana Motuhake o te Karauna na te mea ki ta te Tari TaiwhenuaTe Tari Ture o te Karauna me te Ratonga Tumu Whakarae me pupuri tonu na runga i te mea ki ta te titiro o nga hapori he painga i reira. 
Ahakoa i whakakorengia taua tono kei te aro tenei pire ki etahi ake o nga whakataunga a te Aka Matua o te Ture. I kitea e ratau ko te putake o tenei pire—Te Ture o te tau 1908—he hanga tawhito he rangirua karekau he hua o roto he rahi rawa te utu a ka kutia nga mahi pakirehua. Na ko te ahua nei ko nga Komihana a-Kawana nei ahakoa ka oti wawe he ngawari te utu ko te raruraru ke karekau he mea tiaki i nga tangata ka tu ki mua o te Komihana. Kare pea ratau e marama i nga tikanga me nga whainga arotake ki te Official Information Act ranei me te panga ki a ratau. 
A no reira anei te pire hou hei awhina. Ka tautoko Te Pati Maori i te tono mo nga kaupapa papai kua ata whakaarohia. He whakaaro pai tonu. Ka taea e nga tari kawanatanga te awhina a-putea i nga tangata kei te hiahia ki te tu ki mua i nga Komihana Pakirehua. A ka tika hoki kia tu motuhake nga mema kia orite ta ratau whakawa i tena i tena. He whakaaro pai tera kua whakatakotohia ara me whai te Komihana Pakirehua i tona ake ara engari me whai i te turee mahi engari me mahia i runga i te pono me te tika. Kare au i te kite i te tika o te kaupapa kia utaina nga whaina taumaha ki runga i nga ture kia hangaia e tenei Whare. Kare he painga i roto i tenei. Ko te whiu a te pire kia piki nga whaina mai i tona taumata o te tahi mano taara ki te taumata hou o te tekau mano taara. Ko etahi o nga mahi whaina ko enei.Tuatahi mena kare te tangata e hanake ahakoa te tono kare a ia e whakaputa nga whakaaturanga e mohiotia ana e ia a he mahi tauwhati whakaporearea i te hui. Ahakoa ena taumahatanga kei roto i te pire tetahi ake ahua ka taea e te ropu pakirehua te tono kia noho nama te tangata mena i whakaarohia na nga mahi porearea tinihanga ranei kare e wawe oti nga hui a ena ka nui ake te utu. Engari kia mohio mai koutou tera pea me uru mai tetahi kaupapa ki roto i teWhare Paremata. Kei konei hoki tetahi kaupapa hei mahi whakaroa i nga ture.Te kaupapa e kia nei ko te filibustering  
Ko ta matau mo tenei pire he tapiri atu he mea whakatikatika a-ture kia mana ai te Tiriti o Waitangi i te wa e whiriwhiria ana nga Komihana Pakirehua. Anei etahi whakaaro hei tirohanga kia whai mana te Tiriti o Waitangi: kia whai mana nga ropu Maori i runga i ta ratau motuhaketanga.Kaua e tatari kia tukuna te tono ki te tangata kotahi; me whakataungia nga mema Maori i runga i to ratau ake matauranga i roto o te ao a-iwi nei. Kaua e whakatu i runga i te kaupapa he iti noa iho te toto Maori kei roto i a ratau; me titiro ano nga whakataunga i raro i nga kaupapa o te Tiriti; me haere nga mema o nga Komihana Pakirehua ki nga hui a te Maori kia marama mai ratau ki te ao me nga whakaaro o tena iwi o tena iwi. 
Hei ta Moana Jackson i a ia e titiro ana ki tenei kaupapa ko tana ko te titiro ki te ahuatanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi he ahua rite ki nga kupu e whai ake an exquisite politeness. Ko enei kupu na Simon Upton. Nana i ki “Maori have been listened to with exquisite politeness and cosmic tact and then basically passed by.” 
A no reira tera pea kua rere te wa mo nga kupu waha huka hei arai hei whai mana te Tiriti o Waitangi. 
Me kore e tukuna te Tiriti kia noho ngoikore ki tahaki. He tino tikanga hei whai mo te kaupapa a-ture kei te whatumanawa e titi ana. He kaupapa a-tangata a-ohaoha ranei. Me rangatira te whanaungatanga i waenganui i te Karauna me to tatau iwi. No reira ko tenei pire tetahi wahanga mo te rarangi take ka wanangahia mo te kaupapa a-ture. Ka tautoko matau i tenei pire i tona haeranga tuatahi a kei mua tonu nga korero hei whakawa i a ia. Kia ora tatau. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Social Policy was unique in the breadth of its coverage and the impact of its scope. The obvious reflection of this is the fact that to this day its conclusions remain of profound influence across the widest social policy settings. In particular the commission was distinguished by its recognition that Te Tiriti o Waitangi was as relevant to social policy as it is to economic policy. It was also one of the biggest exercises to hear from Maori communities to listen to the aspirations articulated by Maori and to have those documented for the record. 
Of course that royal commission is not an isolated example. The Royal Commission on the Electoral System which first recommended New Zealand adopt the mixed-member proportional voting system was submitted on 11 December 1986. The Royal Commission on Genetic Modification which reported in 2001 recommended that New Zealand should proceed with caution on genetic modification minimising and managing risks. And of course no one in this House can ignore the interest provoked by 
 the Royal Commission 
on Auckland Governance 
. 
If there is any doubt about what I am saying I would suggest that the hikoi that took place on 25 May Bastion Point Day gave a pretty sharp steer as to whether that particular royal commission has generated much interest for the people of the land. 
Given this background it is rather surprising to learn that the Law Commission proposed to reform and modernise inquiries law by doing away with royal commissions of inquiry. Its recommendation was that there should be only two types of inquiries: public and Government—ministerial—and do away with the third type royal commissions as a distinct form of inquiry. Against this recommendation the Government has instead decided to maintain the royal commission concluding upon advice from the Department of Internal Affairs Crown Law and the Cabinet Office that they should be retained as they are perceived by the public as having added gravitas. 
Notwithstanding the rejection of this key recommendation the Inquiries Bill does respond to most of the other important findings of the Law Commission. The commission found that the very foundations of this bill—the 1908 Act—was in itself antiquated confusing and brought unnecessary and costly constraints to the process of inquiries. It also considered that ministerial inquiries while they are often quick and cost-effective have little protection in place for those taking part or even help in understanding how processes such as judicial review or the Official Information Act apply to them. 
So now we have this new bill to make the difference. The Maori Party supports the commitment to what seem to be common-sense improvements.  
It makes good sense that relevant departments can grant legal assistance funding for specified persons to appear before an inquiry. It is a thoroughly sensible expectation that members must act independently impartially and fairly. And it is a good idea that unless there are particular terms of reference an inquiry can be conducted as an inquiry sees fit—as long as it complies with rules of natural justice.  
I do not see any value in the addition of hefty fines in the laws created by this House. There isno benefit in that. The bill recommends that penalties for disobedience in regard to an inquiry’s orders are pushed up from a maximum of $1000 to a maximum of $10000. 
The various offences that earn this fine include failing to attend or give evidence or disrupting proceedings. If that is not Draconian enough the bill now provides that an inquiry may make an order awarding costs against a person if it is thought that person has unduly lengthened or obstructed the inquiry or added undue cost to the inquiry. Mind you the idea of fining members in this House for the practice of filibustering—that peculiarly parliamentary practice of obstructing legislation by a range of delaying tactics—has some appeal! 
During the passage of this bill we intend to support the intention to modernise and reform inquiries laws by tabling an amendment that will require all inquiries to recognise the Treaty of Waitangi in their deliberations. Some of the considerations that might be reviewed in establishing a Treaty framework could be: Maori collectives should be considered part of the inquiry as of right rather than waiting for an individualised invitation; Maori members should be appointed on their knowledge base not merely by virtue of having whakapapa Maori; the findings of the inquiry should be reviewed from a Treaty perspective; members of inquiries should be required to attend public hui or meetings associated with the inquiry to assist them in refining their understanding on the views relevant to Maori. 
In his paper reflecting on the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification renowned Maori academic and lawyer Moana Jackson described the way in which the commission responded to Maori views as the redefining of the Treaty of Waitangi as akin to “an exquisite politeness”. This phrase itself came from a comment from former MP Simon Upton that “Maori have been listened to with exquisite politeness and cosmic tact and then basically passed by.” So perhaps the time for politeness—exquisite cosmic or otherwise—when it comes to protecting and honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi has run its course. 
The Treaty requires more than being passed by. There are critical constitutional issues at heart as well as social and economic imperatives that any issues affecting tangata whenua are dealt with in the context of a meaningful Treaty relationship between our people and the Crown.  
This bill then is another component of the constitutional review agenda. We will support it at this its first reading and look forward to the subsequent debates. Greetings to us all. 
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