Plain English: Section 9 will stay in act
Public cash for wife’s trips
Taxpayers’ cash was used to fly the wife of a public sector boss to an opera, a fashion show and to sports awards.
Te Puni Kokiri chief executive Leith Comer also had a towbar fitted to his car and thousands of dollars in petrol charged on the taxpayer. He is to repay some of the money. His spending was revealed yesterday just days after dozens of jobs were tipped to be cut from TPK and as the Government continued a drive to screw down state sector costs. Deputy Prime Minister Bill English faced a grilling in Invercargill yesterday from Southland iwi and the wider public over the Government’s asset sales plan.
He visited Murihiku Marae as part of the Government’s consultation with Maori over the sales.
There had been increasing debate over the place of section 9 of the State-owned Enterprises Act, which ensured the Government could not act against the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, in new legislation covering the sale of 49 per cent of four state-owned power companies.
Some Maori also claimed rights over water and geothermal
‘‘[Section 9] will still be in the State-owned Enterprises Act . . . what happens when you take four companies out of that act [into an act] which doesn’t have the Treaty clause in it?’’ Bill English
resources used by the companies, which could have implications for the Treaty relationship in future.
Labour based much of its 2011 election campaign around opposition to asset sales, and new leader David Shearer maintained the position.
A small group of protesters, mainly drawn from Labour, the Green Party and the unions, awaited Mr English’s arrival at the marae gates, waving placards against the sales.
Once inside, Mr English told the hui the Government was not planning to get rid of section 9 but the question was how it would fit into the Public Finance Act, which would cover companies under the planned mixedownership model. ‘‘It will still be in the State-owned Enterprises Act . . . what happens when you take four companies out of that act [into an act] which doesn’t have the Treaty clause in it?’’
Submissions from Maori closed on February 22 and the Govern-
has ment planned to float the first portion of shares in Mighty River Power by the third quarter of this year, he said.
The Government had three options. It could either include section 9 in the new legislation, make the Treaty clause more specific or take the clause out altogether, he said.
Waihopai upoko runaka Michael Skerrett said the conversation had gone well and Mr English had presented his case effectively.
Mr Skerrett said he personally felt, as the Crown’s rights and powers were going to be reduced by the sale, section 9 should be carried over to the new legislation and beefed up to ensure Maori rights were protected.