Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General) : I begin by offering my congratulations to you, Mr Assistant Speaker, on your election as Assistant Speaker. You are a great member for Invercargill, in the tradition of Ralph Hanan and Norm Jones, and I believe that you are going to be a superb Assistant Speaker. I also congratulate Mr Speaker on his election to office. History shows that extensive parliamentary experience is a vital ingredient in making a good Speaker. We now have a Speaker who has come to the role with that experience, and I very much look forward to the next 3 years in the House under his chairmanship.
I also congratulate my opponent in the marginal seat of Rongotai on her re-election as the member for that great seat, and on her election to the deputy leadership of the Labour Party. I intend to keep up the good fight in Rongotai, and on current projections I should have a shot at winning the seat in the 2020 general election. I may, however, have a chance to pick it up earlier when Ms King contests the Wellington mayoralty and the former boy wonder from Ōtaki contests the by-election as her anointed successor.
I am proud to be a Minister in a Government that is ambitious for New Zealand, a Government that is interested in different points of view, not in blacklisting people who disagree with it, a Government that is interested in the politics of aspiration, not the politics of envy, and a Government that is interested in the things that matter and in the future, not in dirt digging and the ideological debates of 30 years ago.
I have to say that I am in awe of the maiden speeches made by the new members of the National caucus. They are a great bunch: Hekia Parata, Paul Quinn, Simon Bridges, Melissa Lee, Sam Lotu-Iiga, Amy Adams, and all of the others. They will make a significant contribution to New Zealand. Today the National Party is a party that is truly representative of New Zealand. It is a true liberal-conservative party. Labour’s gene pool has remained largely unchanged. It has added some more unionists and former ministerial staffers to help them fight yesterday’s battles, but there is no real difference. There was Bob Semple in the 1930s, Eddie Isbey in the 1970s, and today we have Carol Beaumont and Clare Curran—some things change; some things never change.
Hon Darren Hughes: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister started his speech by saying he was against name-calling and dirt-digging, and I am just wondering how quickly he will do a U-turn by the end of the speech. Will it be peace and love in 10 minutes’ time?
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy): Order!
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Obviously, that is not a point of order—silly man.
What an honour it is to work with my colleagues in the Māori Party. We will sometimes have different views, but so what? I say to Mr Hughes that achievement, not ideology, is the name of the game. I am very much enjoying working with Dr Sharples as the Government progresses its Treaty settlement programme. The area of Treaty negotiations is one that should be non-partisan. There is no place for dissention and discord here. We are not dealing with problems; we are dealing with exciting challenges.
I want to record the work of Dr Cullen, who, to his credit, picked up the ball after 8 years of neglect and did a very good job as Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. The task of this Government is to maintain and build on the momentum that he established in the last 2 years. This morning we had three historic Treaty settlements in the Legislative Council Chamber, and I hope there will be many more such occasions over the next 3 years.
In addition to my Treaty negotiations role, I am truly honoured to have been appointed Attorney-General. It is a great thrill to hold the same office as my old friend Sir Jack Marshall, and the same office as Ralph Hanan, one of the National Party’s greatest members of Parliament—and one of your predecessors in the Invercargill seat, Mr Assistant Speaker.
I am pleased the Labour leadership has appointed David Parker as shadow Attorney-General. He stands head and shoulders above the other lawyers in the Labour Party, and I look forward to engaging with him on matters that call for a bipartisan approach.
I offer my condolences to Mr Chauvel for missing out on being shadow Attorney-General. I remember that one morning he spent a number of hours in the Justice and Electoral Committee writing his own press release announcing his appointment as parliamentary private secretary to the Attorney-General. He is a man so ahead of his time that he did not get the job for another 2 months! I am pleased he has finally altered his website so that it no longer proclaims that he is serving as my parliamentary private secretary. Although he no longer holds the position, I am happy to report to the House that his work product has not decreased at all since the election.
Finally, I am very pleased to have been appointed Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. I see that Mr Grant Robertson has come into the House. He is the associate Labour spokesperson in the arts area, and I am looking forward to working with him on occasion in this area. It is a tragedy that the same issues I was dealing with as chair of the Arts Board in the late 1990s are still unsolved. No provision had been made by the previous Government for helping recurrently funded organisations prepare for tough economic times, and I am dealing with that issue now. Times may be challenging, but the arts area is full of promise. Labour, of course, got more out of the arts than it ever put into them. My aim is to ensure that the arts really do flourish.
Over the summer break I had the chance to read Daniel Barenboim’s book Music Quickens Time. It is a book that tells about the work he undertook with the West-Eastern Divan orchestra, persuading young Israelis and Palestinians to work together. I will be emphasising as often as I can that it is the arts that heal and it is the arts that unite and cross boundaries, and that it applies equally to the Middle East as it does to our own country. But if we are to make the arts truly flourish in New Zealand, the Government can only do so much. Corporates and individuals have to play their part, as well.
Hon Darren Hughes: Nanny State.
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: How is that nanny State? I am particularly interested in the issue of philanthropy and in persuading corporates and individual donors to do more for the arts. Even in tough times, I believe they have a responsibility to do so. New Zealand needs a stronger culture of philanthropy in order to strengthen civil society. It is probably no surprise that Mr Hughes and the Labour Party have trouble understanding the important role of philanthropy in society. Philanthropy is associated with liberalism, not with socialism or social democracy, and we all know from the last 3 years of that horrible Labour Government that the Labour Party is not a liberal party.
Hon Darren Hughes: What a nasty little man!
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I am not nasty. Mr Hughes is a chronic name-caller; it is time he grew up.
One should never forget that in bad times what does more to unite and sustain people than anything else is the arts. Daniel Barenboim said that the power of music, for example, lies in its ability to speak to all aspects of the human being—the animal, the emotional, the intellectual, and the spiritual. How often we think that personal, social, and political issues are independent without influencing each other! From music we learn that this is an objective impossibility; there are simply no independent elements. Music teaches us that everything is connected.
The John Key - led Government recognises the interconnected nature of arts and society. The arts form an integral part of so many areas of Government. Just last week I was in Nelson for the Adam Chamber Music Festival. The performances were of great quality, and visitors had come from all over the world to attend that festival. These events are of benefit not only to New Zealand’s cultural life but also to the tourism industry and regional economies, as well.
I am very happy to emphasise this Government’s commitment to the arts and to New Zealand’s cultural infrastructure. This is a Government moving forward energetically on Treaty settlements, a Government focused not on trivialities or on social engineering, but on the things that matter to New Zealanders.
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Labour) : I seek leave to table this script, which is a new play: Chris Finlayson: the Musical.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is anyone opposed to that course of action? There appears to be no objection. It can be tabled.
I am proud to be a Minister in a Government that is ambitious for New Zealand, a Government that is interested in different points of view, not in blacklisting people who disagree with it, a Government that is interested in the politics of aspiration, not the politics of envy, and a Government that is interested in the things that matter and in the future, not in dirt digging and the ideological debates of 30 years ago.
I have to say that I am in awe of the maiden speeches made by the new members of the National caucus. They are a great bunch: Hekia Parata, Paul Quinn, Simon Bridges, Melissa Lee, Sam Lotu-Iiga, Amy Adams, and all of the others. They will make a significant contribution to New Zealand. Today the National Party is a party that is truly representative of New Zealand. It is a true liberal-conservative party. Labour’s gene pool has remained largely unchanged. It has added some more unionists and former ministerial staffers to help them fight yesterday’s battles, but there is no real difference. There was Bob Semple in the 1930s, Eddie Isbey in the 1970s, and today we have Carol Beaumont and Clare Curran—some things change; some things never change.
Hon Darren Hughes: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister started his speech by saying he was against name-calling and dirt-digging, and I am just wondering how quickly he will do a U-turn by the end of the speech. Will it be peace and love in 10 minutes’ time?
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy): Order!
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Obviously, that is not a point of order—silly man.
What an honour it is to work with my colleagues in the Māori Party. We will sometimes have different views, but so what? I say to Mr Hughes that achievement, not ideology, is the name of the game. I am very much enjoying working with Dr Sharples as the Government progresses its Treaty settlement programme. The area of Treaty negotiations is one that should be non-partisan. There is no place for dissention and discord here. We are not dealing with problems; we are dealing with exciting challenges.
I want to record the work of Dr Cullen, who, to his credit, picked up the ball after 8 years of neglect and did a very good job as Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. The task of this Government is to maintain and build on the momentum that he established in the last 2 years. This morning we had three historic Treaty settlements in the Legislative Council Chamber, and I hope there will be many more such occasions over the next 3 years.
In addition to my Treaty negotiations role, I am truly honoured to have been appointed Attorney-General. It is a great thrill to hold the same office as my old friend Sir Jack Marshall, and the same office as Ralph Hanan, one of the National Party’s greatest members of Parliament—and one of your predecessors in the Invercargill seat, Mr Assistant Speaker.
I am pleased the Labour leadership has appointed David Parker as shadow Attorney-General. He stands head and shoulders above the other lawyers in the Labour Party, and I look forward to engaging with him on matters that call for a bipartisan approach.
I offer my condolences to Mr Chauvel for missing out on being shadow Attorney-General. I remember that one morning he spent a number of hours in the Justice and Electoral Committee writing his own press release announcing his appointment as parliamentary private secretary to the Attorney-General. He is a man so ahead of his time that he did not get the job for another 2 months! I am pleased he has finally altered his website so that it no longer proclaims that he is serving as my parliamentary private secretary. Although he no longer holds the position, I am happy to report to the House that his work product has not decreased at all since the election.
Finally, I am very pleased to have been appointed Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. I see that Mr Grant Robertson has come into the House. He is the associate Labour spokesperson in the arts area, and I am looking forward to working with him on occasion in this area. It is a tragedy that the same issues I was dealing with as chair of the Arts Board in the late 1990s are still unsolved. No provision had been made by the previous Government for helping recurrently funded organisations prepare for tough economic times, and I am dealing with that issue now. Times may be challenging, but the arts area is full of promise. Labour, of course, got more out of the arts than it ever put into them. My aim is to ensure that the arts really do flourish.
Over the summer break I had the chance to read Daniel Barenboim’s book Music Quickens Time. It is a book that tells about the work he undertook with the West-Eastern Divan orchestra, persuading young Israelis and Palestinians to work together. I will be emphasising as often as I can that it is the arts that heal and it is the arts that unite and cross boundaries, and that it applies equally to the Middle East as it does to our own country. But if we are to make the arts truly flourish in New Zealand, the Government can only do so much. Corporates and individuals have to play their part, as well.
Hon Darren Hughes: Nanny State.
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: How is that nanny State? I am particularly interested in the issue of philanthropy and in persuading corporates and individual donors to do more for the arts. Even in tough times, I believe they have a responsibility to do so. New Zealand needs a stronger culture of philanthropy in order to strengthen civil society. It is probably no surprise that Mr Hughes and the Labour Party have trouble understanding the important role of philanthropy in society. Philanthropy is associated with liberalism, not with socialism or social democracy, and we all know from the last 3 years of that horrible Labour Government that the Labour Party is not a liberal party.
Hon Darren Hughes: What a nasty little man!
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I am not nasty. Mr Hughes is a chronic name-caller; it is time he grew up.
One should never forget that in bad times what does more to unite and sustain people than anything else is the arts. Daniel Barenboim said that the power of music, for example, lies in its ability to speak to all aspects of the human being—the animal, the emotional, the intellectual, and the spiritual. How often we think that personal, social, and political issues are independent without influencing each other! From music we learn that this is an objective impossibility; there are simply no independent elements. Music teaches us that everything is connected.
The John Key - led Government recognises the interconnected nature of arts and society. The arts form an integral part of so many areas of Government. Just last week I was in Nelson for the Adam Chamber Music Festival. The performances were of great quality, and visitors had come from all over the world to attend that festival. These events are of benefit not only to New Zealand’s cultural life but also to the tourism industry and regional economies, as well.
I am very happy to emphasise this Government’s commitment to the arts and to New Zealand’s cultural infrastructure. This is a Government moving forward energetically on Treaty settlements, a Government focused not on trivialities or on social engineering, but on the things that matter to New Zealanders.
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Labour) : I seek leave to table this script, which is a new play: Chris Finlayson: the Musical.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is anyone opposed to that course of action? There appears to be no objection. It can be tabled.
- Document, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.
