Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:649;Page:17998] 
12.  
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Does the Maori Trustee support the expropriation of $35 million out of the Maori Trustee’s general purposes fund? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 The Maori Trustee was closely involved in the proposal to establish the new statutory corporation including the transfer of the $35 million and continues to support the concept of Maori Business Aotearoa New Zealand. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: In light of that answer can the Minister confirm that the Crown Law Office has advised that “the Maori Trustee is the legal owner of the general purposes fund and no other person can claim ownership of the assets in that fund”; and can he explain why the Minister is actually ignoring advice from the Government’s own Crown Law Office and pushing ahead with plans to steal beneficiary money out of the said general purposes fund? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: There is also a Crown Law opinion that other things can be developed on the way through and it is on that basis that we are going forward in relation to setting up Maori Business Aotearoa New Zealand which will help Maori develop enterprise. 
Louisa Wall 
: Kia ora Madam Speaker tena koutou katoa. Why is the Government proposing changes to the Maori Trustee Act?  
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The proposed changes arise from a longstanding review of the Maori Trustee and the Maori Trust Office along with the decisions taken in Budget 2008. They provide for the Maori Trustee better funding accountability and returns to beneficiaries a significant funding pool for Maori economic development and in terms of Maori Business Aotearoa New Zealand a significant funding pool for Maori economic development independent governance and decision-making processes and accountability to Maori for those decisions. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Given that the Maori Trustee is by law independent of the Crown why despite Crown Law Office advice that the Minister has no legal or beneficial claim to the money in the general purposes fund is he and his Government trying to force the Maori Trustee who said at a select committee that he does not support the taking of $35 million from the general purposes fund; why is it that the Minister is again trying to steal money through the legislative process? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I was surprised that during the select committee process the Maori Trustee said he no longer supported transferring the $35 million via legislation. But I was also interested in the press release of 23 July where he said that at the select committee Mr Paki reiterated his support for the stand-alone agency and his agreement in principle for the proposed Maori Business Aotearoa New Zealand and he restated his view that more work needed to occur before the entity was established. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: If if the Maori Trustee— 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: If if what? 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Sorry what was that? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Carry on! 
Hon Tau Henare 
: What did the Minister not understand when Crown Law advised that “no other person can claim ownership of the assets in the general purposes fund” or is this another case of Labour thinking it does not have to obey the law of New Zealand just like everyone else—just like the Electoral Finance Act just like the pledge card and just like every other law that it has broken in the last 9 years? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: What is at stake here is a proposal to write off over $60 million worth of historical debt and to introduce $19 million to improve the operational capacity of the Maori Trustee—a $4 million capital grant and a transfer hopefully of $35 million. It is akin to transferring from one waka to the other to help aid and abet the progress of Maori. What is the member’s policy on that?  
Hon Tau Henare 
: Our policy is not to steal. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member will just ask the question. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: When was the Minister—[ 
Interruption 
] Oh just give the diary back. When was the Minister given the Crown Law advice that the Maori Trustee— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I think you’ve tucked it in front of your tummy Tau. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: How is Tuku Morgan eh? What is it like dealing with Tuku Morgan now Trevor? Ha ha! Never mind Trevor! When was the Minister given the Crown Law advice that “the Maori Trustee is the legal owner of the general purposes fund and no other person can claim ownership of the assets in the fund”—when was he given that advice? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The Crown Law advice has been there for a period of time. I also assure the member that there is other Crown Law advice and other legal advice about what we can do in developing a fund for the sake of Maori progress. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I seek leave to table the Crown Law advice which actually says— 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.