Hide Rodney: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Hide Rodney: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:609;Page:6488] 
RODNEY HIDE (ACT NZ) 
: 
 I challenge the Minister of Maori Affairs Parekura Horomia to take a call to explain in English or in Maori–we can get a translation so it does not matter which language he uses—the difference between a levy and a tax. I challenge the Minister of Maori Affairs Parekura Horomia to rise to his feet and show us what he is made of. He should take the call for the sake of what Parliament is about and make that explanation. He should explain why Ngati Porou has to pay an increased accident compensation levy for its motor vehicles and why the Maori people whom he represents have to pay more money on their vehicles. Is it because that is supposed to prevent injuries? Is it because it is supposed to help with people’s rehabilitation and therefore they have to pay the Government more money? I do not remember Labour promising that at the last election. I do not remember the Minister of Maori Affairs standing up on marae around the country to explain that. I do not remember the “Minister in charge of Te Kuni Porkery” explaining that that would be paid for by more taxes. 
What do we hear from this Government? We hear a deafening silence. Government members are not even prepared to come down to this Chamber to talk to Part 1 the purpose of this bill. Did we hear the Minister in the chair speak to it? No. Did we hear the Minister of Maori Affairs speak to it? Did we hear any back-bencher try to sharpen up his or her practice in Parliament by speaking to this bill? Did we hear any one of those members stand up in this Committee and say this is not a tax but a levy? Not once did we hear that. I say to David Parker who is trying to interject that he should take the next call to explain that. He will say that when a cow blows off we can put a levy on that and it is not a tax. We can ask this great farming nation of ours who would have believed that? Do members remember the jokes that used to go around about what Labour would tax next? I do not remember anyone saying that there would be a tax on cows and sheep blowing off but this Labour Government is doing that and calling it a levy. 
 I look forward to the Minister of Maori Affairs who is in charge of “Te Kuni Porkery” being ready to take the call. With Brian Edwards’ haircut and all the media training will he take the call and explain to Maori people why they have to pay more on their vehicles because of “improved estimates of long-term rehabilitation costs”? What is improved about them if people have to pay more money I ask the Minister? How can the Minister go onto marae and say the Government has improved accident compensation so therefore people have to pay more? I say to the Minister that in the real world when one improves something the price stays the same. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: It’ll pay for your salary. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: The Minister wants to whack my salary. I am the man who is doing his job! I am the man who is doing his job and he stands up and tells the House that I am doing his job. I am the man who is finding out what is happening in his portfolio and he stands up in the House and tells us that. And when he gets stuck whom does he call on for help? The National Party’s former vice president! That is who is bailing that Minister out. I say: “Good on him.” I am very pleased that the Minister of Maori Affairs is being consistent and has stood up in this House and said people should vote National because that is the only way to get a Minister of Maori Affairs who will do the business. 
I say to that Minster that he should stand up because the Minister in the chair cannot and none of the Government back-benchers can either. I ask Minister Parekura Horomia to stand up and tell us the difference between a tax and a levy. The Minister should tell us why the Maori people have to pay more money on their cars and why this Government calls that an improvement. He should tell us why this Government and he in particular did not listen to the submissions that said this would happen. He sits still and does not take the call. Let the record reflect that.