4. Question No. 4—Prime MinisterRAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Pāti Māori ) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 4—Prime Minister4. RAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Pāti Māori ) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister): Yes and especially this Government's action to abolish the broken lending regulations associated with the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA). We know that those regulations have been an absolute nightmare for Kiwis having to explain to their bank why they're subscribed to Netflix or justifying how much money they're spending on cat food. Our Government is serious about getting rid of the jungle of red tape so good news: from today 11 pages have been shredded in regulations around the CCCFA. It means people get access to liquidity and will also protect on predatory lending.Rawiri Waititi: Does he agree with the Minister for Regulation that the Government's job is to protect property rights?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: The Government's job is definitely to protect property rights and it is also to make sure we improve outcomes for Māori non-Māori and every New Zealander.Rawiri Waititi: Does he agree that article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi guarantees Māori full exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands estates forests forestries and other properties so long as they wish to retain them?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Yes.Rawiri Waititi: Why then is he amending the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act to make it possible for the courts to recognise Māori rights over their foreshore and seabed as guaranteed under Te Tiriti o Waitangi?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well what we are doing here as we have explained is we're taking—Rawiri Waititi: Yes you're taking all right!Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: No no excuse me would you like to hear the answer? I've been respectful to you; I expect respect the other way. So what I just say to you is we are passing an amendment to section 58 [Interruption]SPEAKER: Just quiet for a minute. Quieten down. It's a serious matter so we'll just hear the answer in silence.Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Thank you. Look the Government's amending the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act to clarify the test for customary marine title. We are very proud of the legislation that actually a National-led Government passed in 2011 that actually legitimately recognises Māori customary title and also balances the legitimate use of coastal areas for all New Zealanders. Unfortunately under the court action that threshold has been lowered. All we are doing is restoring it back to what was intended by this Parliament in 2011.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Prime Minister does he agree with that brilliant legal scholar Sir Āpirana Ngata's version of the Treaty—Rawiri Waititi: He wasn't here when the foreshore and seabed was taken.SPEAKER: Hang on just—Rt Hon Winston Peters: When I'm speaking you keep quiet all right?Rawiri Waititi: Or what?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Or what? Or you'll be gone in five minutes that's what!SPEAKER: Sorry we're not having this. Question time is a question and answer; it's not a debate time. So Rt Hon Winston Peters will start his question again.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I'm asking the Prime Minister does he agree with that brilliant legal and Māori scholar Sir Āpirana Ngata's version of article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi or the Te Pāti Māori radicals' version of article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: What I would say is we are making sure that we get the balance right by restoring the intention of the legislation that was passed in 2011 which recognises Māori customary rights and also protects the legitimate rights of all New Zealanders. That is what is happening here. The courts have lowered the threshold and we are just restoring it to what it once was.Rawiri Waititi: By over-ruling the Court of Appeal judgment that Far from recognising and promoting customary interests [the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act] would in many cases extinguish those interests." is this Government seeking to extinguish Māori rights and interests over our foreshore and seabed?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: No what we are doing is making sure that we ensure that the legislation that Parliament passed that balanced quite rightly the customary rights of Māori and recognised those appropriately and also protected legitimate interests of all New Zealanders is actually the legislation that's in operation.Rawiri Waititi: By over-ruling the Court of Appeal judgement that "Te Tiriti had been breached by Crown failures to protect customary rights and interests [and] MACA would entrench and perpetuate those breaches" is his Government seeking to entrench the theft of our foreshore and seabed?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: No absolutely not. The Court of Appeal ruling changed the nature of the test and it materially reduced the threshold. What we are doing is making sure that we can recognise Māori customary rights and also protect legitimate rights of all New Zealanders. This legislation as it was in 2011 I would be very proud of because it was a National-led Government that put it in place and it struck a balance and we should be proud about it. We're just taking it back to that interpretation.Rawiri Waititi: If no one owns the foreshore and seabed what gives the Government the right to consent to and profit from coastal marine farms seabed mining and deep-sea oil drilling?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well I'd just say to that member what we are making sure is that we are balancing economic cultural and environmental interests across New Zealand. We know that we need to grow our economy we know that we need to build more renewable electricity and energy and that's why we're wanting to pass fast-track legislation. I'd love you to support it.Rawiri Waititi: Is he afraid that iwi and hapū holding customary title over the foreshore and seabed would be a barrier to his Government's seabed mining and oil drilling agenda?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Again I'd just say to the member those that have already settled under the current legislation their rights are protected. But going forward we are rebalancing and going back to the original intention of Parliament with the original Act. It recognises customary title for Māori and it also protects legitimate interests of all New Zealanders.Darleen Tana: What is his response to the more than 150 signatories of the open letter by ActionStation Aotearoa to "stop the Treaty Principles Bill and ensure it is withdrawn prior to the select committee process"?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well I think there has been a lot of misunderstandings. Let me be clear we are not touching the Treaty. The Government has no plans has never had any plans to rewrite the Treaty of Waitangi. We're going to continue to honour the Treaty and honour all Treaty settlements.Darleen Tana: What does he say to the statement in the open letter by ActionStation Aotearoa that the proposed Treaty principles bill "misrepresents the collective guarantee of Māori tino rangatiratanga into something it is not (and never could be) by erasing the inherent rights that Te Tiriti affirms and protects"?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well as I've said to the member—I don't know how to be any clearer—we're not touching the Treaty of Waitangi. We respect and honour it and that's what we'll continue to do.Hon Chris Bishop: Is the Prime Minister surprised that Te Pāti Māori now appears to be arguing for a radically different position from that advanced through the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act in 2011 which they had a hand in devising and passing?SPEAKER: Well he may be surprised but it's not something he's got responsibility for. We move now to question number—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Point of order Mr Speaker. This is in no way challenging your potential ruling but if somebody's been away from this House for 110 days how did they get back into the cycle of being entitled to a question that passed in the way that Darleen Tana just did?SPEAKER: Well that is the way in which Parliament operates. There's nothing unusual here. There is a [Interruption]—sorry there is a process and there is a roster—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I know the process.SPEAKER: Yeah so well look if the member goes back and has a talk to his whip his whip will show him the roster and the roster will indicate that Darleen Tana has one supplementary on two days of a week and can choose to use both those supplementaries on one day as anybody else can as well. Thank you—Hon Member: Aw fragile—fragile!SPEAKER: Hang on—enough!Hon Chris Bishop: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker without challenging your ruling it is a bit odd that Ms Tana has been up until I don't know 10 days or so ago a member of the Green Party and therefore the Greens have been using her questions essentially her proportionate questions. It is a bit odd that very soon after her expulsion she's entitled to two supplementary questions almost immediately. I think it does strike many of us as slightly strange.SPEAKER: Well I'll tell you what strikes me as strange: it strikes me as particularly peculiar and very odd that the Leader of the House who is a major player in the Business Committee does not remember that the Business Committee approved the roster that gives her these questions."