Katene Rahui: Electricity Industry Bill — In Committee 
Katene Rahui: Electricity Industry Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:667;Page:14174] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I am very pleased to take a call on Part 5 of the Electricity Industry Bill. As the member for Te Tai Tonga I really need to talk about Waitaki because the waters of Waitaki from their source at Aoraki through to the coast are of paramount importance to Ngai Tahu. 
Ngai Tahu of course have put in their submission on this part of the bill. When the bill proposed to transfer ownership of both Tekapo A and Tekapo B power stations to Genesis Energy from Meridian Energy Ngai Tahu went on to high alert. Aoraki is the sacred mountain range and Waitaki is the ancestral river and they are both fundamental to the identity of every Ngai Tahu person. As such Ngai Tahu as tangata tiaki have inherited responsibilities to manage the natural resources across the takiwa. Indeed it is extremely timely to be considering this issue in advance of the report of the Land and Water Forum which will be released tomorrow for the mana of Aoraki and the waters of the catchment are an integral element of the tribal economic cultural and spiritual values of Ngai Tahu. 
We come then to the issue of asset reconfigurations specifically related to the Waitaki power scheme. In the Maori Party manifesto  
He Aha Te Mea Nui? 
 we make a commitment to whanau hapu and iwi as tangata tiaki to assist them to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the well-being and future good health of the environment. In particular we note that issues involving water including water rights and privatisation must include the mana whenua. 
So we now come to Supplementary Order Paper 121. Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu in its submission made the case very clear that shareholder Ministers should enter any processes related to existing arrangements involving Ngai Tahu in the spirit of good-faith Treaty partnership. The submission recommended a joint approach by Meridian and Genesis to address Ngai Tahu matters in the Waitaki catchment and wanted to encourage the Government to recognise the importance of a proactive working relationship between both of the State-owned enterprises and Ngai Tahu. A key recommendation put forward by Ngai Tahu was that the relationship should provide a forum to resolve historical issues of cultural displacement in the Waitaki. I want to place on record the Maori Party’s support for both Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and the local runaka sitting down with the Government to work through the complexities and consequences of the asset reconfiguration provisions in respect of the Waitaki power scheme. 
This is particularly important in light of new clause 124A “Purposes of sections 124B to 124H” in Supplementary Order Paper 121. New clause 124A(b) states that the purpose of sections 124B to 124H is “to maintain current effects on the environment and rights and obligations in respect of the Waitaki power scheme”. This is where the key issue falls for us. From what Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu has reported the so-called current effects on the environment of the Waitaki power scheme are actually detrimental to their relationship with the Waitaki River. The challenge therefore for this House is to seek to improve the environment within the catchment rather than merely maintaining the status quo. 
We remind the Committee of the position put forward so eloquently by Ngai Tahu that any discussions involving mana whenua—both Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and the local runaka—must be entered into in the spirit of good-faith Treaty partnership. We look forward to a commitment from the Minister of Energy and Resources as to how the advice of Ngai Tahu will be taken on board.