NEW ZEALAND
consistently. National stalls it. Under this government real wages have dropped—real wages have dropped. ‘Joe New Zealander’, is really feeling the pinch, and it is as a result of the policies of this government.” The House interrupted the debate to consider several Bills under urgency, including the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill, the Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill, the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill (No 2), the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2013 Amendment Bill, and the Customs and Excise (Budget Measures—Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill. Moving the urgency motion, Hon. Gerry Brownlee, MP, (Leader of the House), said “they each have a particular part in delivering on that Budget”. On 6 June the Budget debate finally concluded and the amendment
and served as Minister of Maori Affairs from 2000 to 2008. The 800-strong community of Tolaga Bay on the North Island’s East Coast hosted 12,500 people from all over New Zealand for Mr Horomia’s tangihanga [mourning and funeral], which was also attended by nearly all Members of Parliament.
Later in the House, leading the many tributes to Mr Horomia, the Prime Minister said: “Parekura had the rare ability [to bridge] the parliamentary divide. He became the person able to bring all Maori MPs together from across the House. His experience and mana [authority] were often drawn upon, and in many respects Parekura was Parliament’s kaumatua [elder statesman] figure.” Mr Shearer said: “[Parekura]
never forgot where he came from. He never forgot his people. In his
time as Minister he introduced [Maori] radio, he introduced Maori Television, 67 per cent more Maori went on to tertiary education, and Maori unemployment halved. In Parekura’s maiden speech, he talked about…walking to school five kilometres there and back with his seven brothers and sisters, while the school bus that was often full of Pakeha [non- Maori] kids was driving by him. He said, as he became Minister: ‘now, as an Associate Minister of Education, responsible for school transport…I am helping to drive the bus’, and he said that as one of the drivers, you could be damn sure he was going to stop the bus and pick up as many Maori as possible. He did that all his life, and he picked up a whole lot of Pakeha along the way as well”. The Minister of Maori Affairs, Hon. Dr Pita Sharples, MP,
(Maori Party) said: “It was good to see all the parties present [at the tangihanga], hear the speeches given, and all united in a common cause. But more important was how many tribes came to that funeral. I hope that we can unite more on other things.” Fellow East Coast Member Ms Moana Mackey, MP, (Labour) noted: “Some have expressed astonishment at the enormous numbers who came to mourn him, from Prime Ministers and Kings to the guy who washes windows down the street, but those of us who worked with him on an everyday basis were not surprised at all. You know you have had an impact on people’s lives when your tangihanga has an information stand and Radio New Zealand is reporting traffic updates for Auckland, Wellington, and Tolaga Bay.”
THIRD READING: NEW ZEALAND Hon. Parekura Horomia, MP
expressing no confidence in the government was lost by 53 votes to 63.
Obituary
Hon. Parekura Horomia, MP, (Labour), sitting Member for Ikaroa-Rawhiti, died on 29 April 2013 aged 62. Mr Horomia was elected to Parliament in 1999, and was appointed Associate Minister of Education in that year’s incoming Labour Government
Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill Nine Bills divided from the Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill had their third readings on 30 May. They make largely technical amendments to clarify the intention of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 and related legislation, which reformed court processes to remove avoidable delay, excessive complexity, unnecessary costs, and a high reliance on paper-based systems. The Associate Minister of Justice, Hon. Chester Borrows, MP, (National) said that the amending legislation would ensure that “the largest criminal procedure reforms in 50 years can be implemented effectively and coherently and that the benefits predicted are fully realised.”
The 2011 Act classified criminal offending under four categories based on the severity of the penalty an offence attracts, and initially the amending Bill would have allowed references to the word “crime” in other legislation to be amended by mere regulation. However, after hearing submissions that this power might be used inappropriately, the Justice and Electoral Committee recommended removing the provision before the Bill’s second reading. Andrew Little, MP, (Labour) said that criminal justice legislation requires “certainty and agreement in this House…because it
affects people’s lives, but, most important, it affects their constitutional rights, and…potentially affects their liberty”. He also said that “…the select committee process showed that the government was listening. This is perfectly acceptable legislation now that ought to have the backing and the support of this House”. Mr David Clendon, MP, (Green Party) noted: “It is actually quite a rare day that the Greens…support a government justice Bill throughout every reading, [because] generally they fail to meet the standards of good lawmaking. Unfortunately, at the same time that this very useful legislation is being put in place…we are seeing other aspects of policy [implementation] that are working against the intention of this—issues like staff cuts in our courts.”
Hon. Phil Goff, MP, (Labour) compared this legislation’s progress with that of other recent legislation: “Going back to just the last week of this session, we were pushing through under urgency things that never went to a select committee at all. They … did not get the benefit of having ordinary citizens and people who are experts in their fields … look at the legislation to make sure that what this Parliament is intending to do is actually carried out in the form of the legislation.” The Bills were passed unanimously.
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