Korako Nuk; Williams PotoNUK KORAKO (National): Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. It is indeed an honour for me to stand and speak on the Electoral (Entrenchment of Māori Seats) Amendment Bill in the first reading.First of all I think it's really important to put some context into this debate. I think the important thing is that if those speakers on the other side of the House decided to go and read the 1867 Hansard around the seats and the kōrero that took place before the seats were actually set up in 1867 they would actually see that there was a whakaaro there that actually was not about the seats being permanent. So that's the first one. The other part of this is that that previous speaker Tamati Coffey I would think just like myself and most Māori in this Parliament—we have more non-Māori blood in us than Māori blood. So actually we have a sense here that our non-Māori colleagues can stand up and talk about this. That is what this is about: kotahitaka.But what I want to do is just to go back through and look at these seats as they were as they were actually right at the beginning because these seats have stood as a beacon of hope for Māori during the darkest days of our existence particularly post-colonial days when Pākehā first came here. I think the next part of it is that these seats were also a testament to the good people that were not Māori that were responsible for ensuring that these Māori seats were actually seat up. Sir Edward William Stafford—he was the one who was the third Premier of New Zealand. He was the one responsible for the set-up of these seats.Our Māori people came to view the seats not just as a means of representation but as a symbol of hope that we'd eventually take our place as equal—as equal—members of Parliament. I can only look and wonder particularly with Sir Apirana Ngata Sir Turi Carroll Te Rangi Hīroa—they were there to ensure that Māori actually were going to be represented here but on an equal basis. So when I look at Rino Tirikatene's bill I ask myself what is the problem this bill seeks to address understanding that the Māori seats were meant to bridge the gap and provide a means for Māori to be represented until we sit equally with Pākehā and be elected into Parliament as of right and as of merit. The Māori seats have performed this function very very well.Look around us—look around us today. There are 30 MPs of Māori descent in this 52nd Parliament across the five parties. As a proportion of Parliament one might argue that we're actually overrepresented as Māori in this Parliament. Most of the Māori MPs in this 52nd Parliament are not here through the Māori seats but they are here through the general electorate and the list seats because of the fact that their parties have actually put them there because of merit. That was the original whakaaro in this book here in this Hansard—that the seats would be there until such time as there would be an equal footing of Māori and non-Māori in this House.So if we actually look at this—keep in mind that our National Party policy is that we will not remove the Māori seats until Māori decide they are no longer needed. That's an important basis here because when I look at this particular bill when I look at the reasons for this—particularly the original whakaaro. The other part of it is around how many Māori politicians or MPs of Māori descent are here: 30. So at the end of the day it's for these reasons that I do not support this entrenchment bill for the Māori seats. Why? Because it is simply not required. This bill is simply not required because if you think of what is actually—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Order! I apologise to the member. Your time has expired.