The MP can be heard saying the words after a submission. Video / Parliament TV
Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris’ “f***ing racist” remark at a parliamentary select committee this week has “fallen short” of the party’s expectations, its co-leaders say.
“There is a standard of conduct that we all expect of each other in Te Pāti Māori and that comment has fallen short of those expectations. We will deal with it internally as a whānau,” co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi said today.
But they told the Herald that Ferris’ comment should be seen in a larger context.
“We are withstanding the greatest assault against us as a Māori nation since the Land Wars,” they said.
“The racism and violence we are subjected to as a Māori nation on a daily basis is constant and unbridled. Naturally, this is putting us all under enormous pressure because we see the very real impacts this has and will have on our people.
“The comment made in select committee is part of that context and a reaction to the harm being forced upon us.”
Tākuta Ferris made his comment at the end of a submission to Parliament's justice select committee on amendments to the foreshore and seabed legislation. Photo / Parliament
Submitter Muriel Newman, a former Act MP and founder of the think tank New Zealand Centre for Political Research, had expressed support for the legislation, which Ferris opposes.
As Ferris continued to ask questions of Newman and the think tank’s associate director Frank Newman, he was cut off by committee chairman James Meager.
“No, sorry, we will be winding this up now, we are significantly over time,” Meager said as Ferris attempted to continue questioning the pair.
As Meager tried to move on to the next submitters, Ferris could be heard saying: “f***ing racist”. The meeting was taking place over Zoom and Ferris’ name came up as the comment was made, indicating he was talking.
Meager said: “Thank you for those comments, Mr Ferris.
“I will remind members that members did put it to me that we were running over time and members want me to adhere more closely to the order of Parliament and I did write to them outlining how we would be conducting hearings, including that questions would be succinct otherwise they won’t be put.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer say Ferris' comments will be dealt with by the party "as a whānau". Photo / Marty Melville
The proposed legislation would make changes to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 to address issues raised in a recent Court of Appeal decision that made it easier for iwi, hapū and whānau to have customary marine title recognised. The Bill would restore the former test in the 2011 law.
Under that test, two conditions had to be met before CMT was recognised: the applicant group must hold it in accordance with tikanga and applicants must have exclusively used and occupied it without substantial interruption since 1840.
The Court of Appeal decision criticised the second condition – and based on that criterion, incursions into an area by third parties since 1840 would deprive a group of CMT and would be inconsistent with the Treaty of Waitangi.
Muriel Newman said the amendment was needed as it was clear “the law is not delivering on what Parliament intended” in 2011. She also suggested terms such as tikanga be removed.
Ferris has previously said the legislation would shift “the goalposts for Māori to prove customary marine title to something that is near impossible, thus slamming the door shut on hapū and iwi and confiscating the takutai moana”.
Todd Stephenson, an Act MP who sits on the committee, called Ferris’ remark “abuse”.
“As a select committee, we invite members of the public to make their voices heard. We are hosts and submitters are our guests – we owe them basic manners and respect, not to witness abuse,” he said.
“Debates concerning access to coastal areas are sensitive enough as it is. Having elected politicians using select committee to publicly say ‘f***ing racist’ only makes it harder to have constructive conversations.”
The Speaker confirmed last month that Parliament’s privileges committee would consider whether Ferris misled the House after he denied referring to other MPs as liars.
The accusation related to a contribution from Ferris in a debate when he said: “It allows lies to be presented as truths. Politicians call this obfuscation. The art of making something unclear, intentionally vague, ambiguous, to conceal or obscure the truth, to confuse others. Lies, in other words. Many in this House are masters of it and it is a disservice to those who voted you into your positions.”
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.
