Carter John: Maori Television Service Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Speaker Recalled 
Carter John: Maori Television Service Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Speaker Recalled 
[Volume:607;Page:4993] 
JOHN CARTER (NZ National—Northland) 
: 
 I want to take a call in this debate on the preamble because an issue here worries me—an issue that some of the previous speakers have alluded to. Indeed I think Bill Gudgeon got as close to the specific problem I want to talk about as any of those who have spoken previously. 
The first paragraph of the preamble under the heading “Background in English” states: “The Tribunal found that the Crown is obliged by the Treaty to take active steps to protect the Maori language. The Crown accepted these findings:” and it goes on to give a number of findings. It is a laudable objective to want to see the Maori language protected and developed right across the country where possible. I am supportive of it as indeed is the National caucus—absolutely. People like me will never be fluent in Maori but there are a number of young people who are and we should encourage them where we can. However my question to the Minister and the Government is whether they genuinely believe that the expenditure of $55 million a year of taxpayers’ money will actually help us achieve that objective. 
I wonder whether the Minister or one of the members on that side of the Chamber would stand and tell us whether the Government genuinely believes that one of the outcomes of this amount of money being spent on the development of Maori television is that the Maori language will be protected and indeed enhanced developed or encouraged. I do not believe it will. I think there are some major deficiencies here. For instance I draw to the Committee’s attention that in Northland we have a substantial population of people of Maori descent. Across Northland probably 40 percent of the population is of Maori descent. In the Hokianga and in some areas further north people of Maori descent are the majority. 
The point I make is that a whole lot of those people do not have access to television. If the Government is intent on expanding the Maori language—and I know it is saying that this is not just for Maori but for all New Zealanders and that is fine but the focus has to be on those people of Maori descent who do not speak Maori—then surely one of the outcomes we would expect from investing $55 million of taxpayers’ money is that all the mokopuna the children of Maori descent will have an opportunity to learn Maori. So what are we going to do about those children in Northland who will not have access to this service? 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: Have they got access to any services? 
JOHN CARTER 
: Indeed that is a problem in itself. But we are focusing today on the delivery of Maori television across the nation with the intent so we are told of protecting the Maori language and this Government will fail. It will not achieve its goal. I say to this Minister that at some stage—not that he will have to worry about this for long; he will not be a Minister for much longer anyway because there will be a change of Government shortly—someone from this side of the Chamber in the short time we will be on it will stand up and ask him where the delivery is. We will be asking that Minister to show us the delivery. He is telling us that we should protect the Maori language.