Waititi RawiriRAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori) (remote): Tēnā koe e Te Pīka tēnā tātou i Te Whare. Rere tonu ana ngā mihi ki te taniwha a Moana Jackson haere atu rā e koro. He whatitiri ki te rangi ko Te Arawa ki te whenua.][Greetings to the Speaker greetings to us all in the House. I also acknowledge the great leader Moana Jackson; may you rest in peace. Thunder in the heavens the Arawa on Earth.]On 21 May 2021 Rotorua Lakes Council resolved to establish a Māori ward and then commence the representation review. Following the representation review on 19 November 2021 the council resolved that the ideal representation arrangement for Rotorua would comprise of one mayor elected at large; one Māori ward with three seats Te Ipu Wai Taketake; one general ward with three seats Te Ipu Wai Auraki; four at-large seats; a Rotorua Lakes Community Board; and a Rotorua Rural Community Board.This arrangement is currently prevented by clause 2 of Schedule 1A of the Local Electoral Act 2001 as it does not satisfy the formula currently specified for calculating the number of Māori ward members of the council. Te Paati Māori policy and kaupapa support the establishment of Māori wards and mana whenua representation in local government and it has long been a priority for us. As the member for Te Waiariki I support wholeheartedly our people of Te Arawa and the Rotorua community in our fight for greater decision-making roles in our rohe.The framework adopted by the council will provide for greater tangata whenua representation in decisions and it is supported with iwi partnership as mentioned by Tāmati Coffey in his opening speech of this debate. Greater Māori participation in local decisions will help improve Māori outcomes at a local policy level across environmental social and economic areas. The framework with the three Māori wards equal in number to the general wards is one of the fairest models for Māori representation in local government—across the whole country—that I have seen.As Rotorua is nearly 50 percent Māori this is not only an alignment to the Fenton Agreement but it moves towards a more Tiriti-centric approach. The Rotorua township agreement or the Fenton Agreement was signed in 1880. There was a vision to establish a township that would respect the rangatiratanga of mana whenua that would welcome Pākehā. It didn't just set aside the major reserves lakefront hospital Government Gardens etc. but also promised one seat out of three on the town board. The dedicated seat was removed within 10 years. How quickly the Crown forgets its commitments to Māori when it suits. There will be people in this House that will be against the wants of the Te Arawa iwi and the people in Rotorua because of their racist rhetoric and scaremongering propaganda of co-governance.Co-governance happened in Rotorua 15 years ago. It happened when the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement established co-governance between the council Rotorua Lakes Council the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Te Arawa. That settlement has been an outstanding success in working together to think long term and for the health and mauri of our beautiful lakes. When we ensure that Māori and Pākehā are both at the table we create good outcomes for our whole community. Don't be afraid of allowing Māori voices at the table. I heard the ACT Party say that this bill will not make a difference to Rotorua's problems. This is because they want the status quo which is the current State; a colonised State. As quoted by Dr Moana Jackson the colonised State is a racist State. If you take over the lands and the power of other peoples—in this case Te Arawa—and replace it with yours on the notion that they were inferior to you then that's a racist State. This is smoke and mirrors for their continued attack on Māori and iwi which is laced with racism. Only indigenous knowledge will save this planet. And the issues outlined by ACT—in having Māori equally making decisions—will not only be better for Te Arawa but for the country.The council voted in favour of this proposal. With respect this House should support it without hesitation. I want to congratulate the Rotorua Lakes Council Te Arawa and Rotorua community for your courageous move in designing an exemplary model that can be adopted by other councils around the country. This sets a positive precedent.I look forward to the discussions in the Māori Affairs Committee and Te Paati Māori wholeheartedly support this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou.