HONE HARAWIRA (Māori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: He aha ngā reta, aha atu rānei, mai i a Tūwharetoa, Taranaki, Whanganui, Ngāi Tahu kua whiwhi i a ia e mea ana, ko te awhero a ngā iwi nei kia rite anō te hua o ō rātou whiriwhiringa whakataunga mō te Tiriti pēnā i whakaae te Kāwanatanga ki te tuku i te tino rangatiratanga katoa o Te Urewera ki a Ngāi Tūhoe? [What correspondence, if any, has he received from Tūwharetoa, Taranaki, Whanganui, and Ngāi Tahu to suggest that these iwi would have expected the same outcome in their Treaty negotiations settlement had the Government agreed to fully vest the park in Tūhoe ownership?]
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) : I have not received correspondence from those iwi, but I meet with iwi on a regular basis, and some iwi have raised informally these issues with me. I expect these issues will be raised more formally by some iwi as Treaty negotiations progress.
Hone Harawira: Is it not true, when the Prime Minister says he is concerned about the return of Te Urewera setting precedents, that such precedents have in fact already been established in Treaty settlements to date, such as the top-up clauses that apply in the Tainui and Ngāi Tahu settlements; and how does the Government intend to address this new policy direction on how to deal with settlements?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: The Government does not have a new policy direction on precedent.
Hone Harawira: Is the Minister aware that the Crown Law Office, Treasury, and the Department of Conservation had already worked through all of the legal issues in respect of the Tūhoe settlement; if so, can he please tell the House what was the additional information about the impact on settlements that caused the abrupt cancellation of the Tūhoe deal at the last minute?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: No.
Hon Shane Jones: Why does the Minister think that misleading and mocking Tūhoe is evidence of Crown good-faith claims negotiations?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: No Minister has adopted that attitude at all. Negotiations have been conducted over a substantial period and in good faith with Tūhoe. This Government remains very keen to secure a just and a durable settlement with that tribe.
