Sharples Pita: Governor-General Bill — Second Reading 
Sharples Pita: Governor-General Bill — Second Reading 
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Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. He wa poto maku ki te tautoko i tenei pire. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Deputy Speaker. This a short call from me in support of this bill 
.] 
The Governor-General Bill in repealing and replacing Part 1 of the Civil List Act could be interpreted as simply being about remuneration income tax duties rates levies and fees. Indeed the intention of the bill is to facilitate improved financial arrangements for the support of the Governor-General and his or her programme. To ensure that a future Governor-General receives a payment on leaving office that compares broadly with that available under current law the bill proposes a payment of 6 months’ non - tax-exempt salary. This is an amendment that has arisen out of the recommendation of the Law Commission which the Government Administration Committee supports. The amended bill therefore updates the financial arrangements concerning the salary allowances and the travelling expenses of the Governor-General. The amendments will enable the arrangements to become more transparent and simpler to administer and a key change is that the bill removes the tax exemption status of the Governor-General’s salary. From this point on the Governor-General will pay income tax equally with every other New Zealander ending the Governor-General’s tax-free status. 
The critical feature of all these changes is that they will not affect the constitutional position of the Governor-General and I will speak to that point which is so relevant in the light of recent events in the public media. The relationship between the position of the Governor-General and the constitutional framework of Aotearoa dates back as far as 1840 to the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi which provides the fundamental context of our nationhood. On 6 February 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Queen Victoria’s representative Governor William Hobson and ultimately by some 500 rangatira Maori. Ever since that time the Governor-General has been an important representative of our founding document. He or she represents to every New Zealander the formative invitation of the Treaty for tangata Tiriti—those who are here by virtue of the Treaty—to enter into a relationship with Maori. We are pleased to support the Governor-General Bill as it is also an important means of being able to consolidate the relationship between tangata whenua and the Crown and in doing so to promote the concept of an enduring nationhood. 
The Governor-General has had a significant presence at some of the most distinctive moments in the history of this nation. It was Governor-General Sir Cyril Newall who took part in the ceremony at Ruatoria on 6 October 1943 to honour the Maori Battalion’s Victoria Cross winner Second Lieutenant Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu an event attended by more than 7000 Maori from all over New Zealand. It is the Governor-General who appoints members to the Waitangi Tribunal to investigate claims of breaches of the Treaty from 1975 onwards. It is the Governor-General who represents the monarch at the historical Waitangi Day events. 
I share with the House the words of Dame Silvia Cartwright in 2005: “I encourage all New Zealanders to support and engage in our uniquely indigenous culture and language. It is an important part of our identity. It is what helps make us who we are and marks us out internationally.” 
The role of the Governor-General can indeed be greatly influential in shaping our views as a country about our very concept of nationhood. In this light I was interested to hear the call of Maanu Paul that it is time for Aotearoa to have a Maori Governor-General again given that it is some 20 years since Sir Paul Reeves left that role. Maanu’s recommendation is that Sir Eddie Taihakurei Durie a retired High Court judge has sufficient mana has more than sufficient ability and has the personality to be a Governor-General for Aotearoa. I would like to add that retired Judge Michael J A Brown would also fit that role. 
We come then to the Governor-General Bill accepting the changes to ensure the Governor-General pays tax as is the case with any other New Zealander but also conscious of the special interest that the concept of the Governor-General will have as we embark upon the constitutional review that was a key hallmark of the negotiations that the Maori Party entered into with National to form this Government. We support this bill at its second reading. It repeals outdated and irrelevant provisions of the Civil List Act. It removes the tax-free status that is currently attached to the role and it continues to provide an opportunity for discussion about our constitutional arrangements—the relationship between the Crown and tangata whenua. Thank you.