Paraone Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Paraone Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:632;Page:4329] 
5.  
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Justice 
: Has he received any advice on the removal of references to the “principles of the Treaty of Waitangi” from legislation and the impact this may have on the relevance of the Treaty of Waitangi to New Zealand? 
Hon MARK BURTON (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 Yes I have received advice on the implications of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Deletion Bill for current legislation. 
Pita Paraone 
: Can the Minister confirm that removing references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi from legislation will not remove all references to the Treaty of Waitangi from legislation as the principles and the Treaty itself are clearly different? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: Yes it is my understanding that the assertion in the first part of the member’s question is correct. However I cannot confirm that it would be without significant potential risk and negative impact on the relationship between many Maori and the Crown. 
Pita Paraone 
: Can he confirm then that the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Treaty itself are different and that removing the undefined principles from legislation will not affect the Treaty of Waitangi and its relevance to New Zealand? 
Simon Power 
: You can’t amend the bill during question time! 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: Mr Power aspires to my job but he has not got it yet. [ 
Interruption 
] He will have a long wait. A lot of the Opposition members are aspiring but they are growing old in their aspiration. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Could the Minister just address the question. 
Pita Paraone 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I asked the question but unfortunately I could not hear the answer. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I remind members—those asking the questions and those answering them—that if they just stuck to the questions and the answers and did not embroider them with any other comments we would get through them more quickly. 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: I apologise to the member for allowing myself to be distracted by members opposite. In answer to the member’s question of course one draws from the other. He asks whether it is the case that the removal of references to the principles would have no effect. No I cannot agree with that. Such a removal would amend several Treaty claim Acts in effect affecting the apologies given and I am afraid that that in turn would undermine the good-faith relationship between the Crown and those it settled with. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Tena koe Madam Speaker; tena tatou katoa i Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori. Kua rongo ia mo etahi korero penei i era i puta mai i te Minita Maori i te nupepa i te ranei e ki nei “Kaore te Wahanga Maori i te whakaae ki te pire” a he rereke he orite he korero taupatupatu ranei enei korero ki aua matapono e putake mai ana i te Tiriti o Waitangi penei i te noho tahi kia noho korekiko ai nga nawe o te tangata whenua; ki te kore he aha ai? 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Has he received any advice as reported by the Minister of Maori Affairs in today’s newspaper that “the Maori Caucus is not in favour of it” and would he not think it inconsistent with the very principles embedded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi such as partnership if the concerns of the people of the land are ignored; if not why not? 
] 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: I am aware of the comments in the newspaper that the member refers to. I can say to the member that the comments of the Minister are not at any odds with the views of his colleagues. The Labour caucus will honour its undertaking under the confidence and supply agreement. That does not mean we will not engage in very full debate of the issues raised in the bill.