Parliamentary and Related Matters
- This was scrutiny week in Parliament. This is a new concept, whereby Ministers must appear before select committees and explain progress within their portfolios. Our ‘advert’ on page one refers to the Māori Affairs Select Committee hearing relating to Crown Māori Relations, Māori Development and Whānau Ora – all portfolios held by Minister Tama Potaka.
- Ministers Tama Potaka and Shane Jones released a joint statement this week regarding Māori business success. They advise that the Government has agreed to commit $20 million for projects to support iwi, hapū and Māori businesses. Projects are listed but the release is not clear on whether this is a ‘Māori allocation’ of the incoming Regional Infrastructure Fund, or remainders of the former Provincial Growth Fund, and past projects. The new funding approach of this Government is not clearly discussed, but mention is made of $800 million going to Māori development projects in the past under another (Labour-led) Government. Hence one reading of the release is that the two Ministers are positively acknowledging the work of their opposition with little to else to say at this time. Quite odd.
Appointments and Departure
- Judge Craig Coxhead has been appointed as Deputy Chief Judge of the Maori Land Court.
- Nathan Milner has been appointed as a Judge of the Māori Land Court.
- Late last month the Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, announced that the Chair of the Climate Change Commission, Dr Rod Carr, would be retiring at the end of his appointment term – at some point “later this year”. Two other Commissioners will also be leaving later this year, Catherine Leining and Professor James Renwick as their terms expire (and they are obviously not going to be reappointed). Another odd media release. We wish Dr Carr and the others well.
