Mahuta Nanaia: Dairy Industry Restructuring (New Sunset Provisions) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Mahuta Nanaia: Dairy Industry Restructuring (New Sunset Provisions) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:672;Page:18526] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 Last year reports came out that put the Maori asset base at a value of about $36.9 billion. Just last week a report was released from the Minister of Maori Affairs as a result of the commission that he had set up which showed that that value has significantly grown. The question I want to— 
Shane Ardern 
: It won’t be on the back of the dairy industry. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA 
: Well it is—significantly. It certainly shows that Maori are major contributors to the agricultural sector and specifically in the area of dairying. That point is well made and when I look at a bill like this I have some questions that I too would like the Minister in the chair the Minister of Agriculture to take a call on. A peer-reviewed report that was looking at the Maori economy—a Business and Economic Research Ltd report—said that the growth of the Maori economy would be significant to the extent that by 2060 New Zealand could benefit from $12 billion per annum from just the Maori economy alone. If a significant proportion of that growth is on the back of the dairy industry in the primary production sector then this bill I think raises some questions for me in a very local way. 
I am not the member for the interest for which I want to ask the question of the Minister but I know that he is well aware of Tuaropaki Ltd and its combined investment with Wairarapa Moana Inc. in Miraka Ltd to the sum of about $100 million. The basis of that investment would seek some guarantee of supply of milk from Fonterra so I will ask one simple question—and I am not a rocket scientist so it is very basic—does this bill guarantee long term supply options to Miraka if it has made such a significant investment? I think that when we have a small player emerging on to the scene and substantially founded in significant asset wealth then it is a fair question to ask of the Minister because Tuaropaki also has interests in communications and significantly in geothermal food and farming operations. 
The company is located in Georgina te Heuheu’s area and it is probably worth mentioning given that she will be located at home that she will have some very direct interests in ensuring that the economic opportunities of Maori in her part of the country are not hindered by bills like this one. 
So I ask the Minister to take a call and I tell him that a very simple clarification would help to assure Tuaropaki in terms of its supply of milk that this bill will not prejudicially affect it in the short medium or long term. If the Minister could clarify the nature of how the bill will impact on that company I think that people listening to the debate would find that clarification very worthwhile. On the back of a lot of positive comments about how the Maori economy can contribute to the overall wealth growth and opportunity trajectory of the country then that would certainly be an important response. 
I certainly think it is exciting when we see business investments like this from Maori when they are positively engaging in opportunities seeing a niche in a market and seeing some potential in terms of how they can secure opportunities. They will obviously continue to grow their investments so it is a fair question to put to the Minister. Quite simply I ask the Minister again whether he could clarify that. I know there are people who are excited perhaps about following some of the other business models that Tuaropaki is engaged in and who are looking to some of the leads that that company is taking in some very innovative areas of investment. Kia ora.