Tirikatene Rino: Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTirikatene Rino: Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 19 November 2013. Volume:695;Page:14960. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou i te Whare. I am very pleased to speak at this third reading of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. I would like to acknowledge the Minister of Māori Affairs and my honourable colleague Shane here—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson): Full name—full name.RINO TIRIKATENE: —Mr Jones Mr Jones—for their contributions in Te Reo Māori because that is really what this bill is about. Sure there has been a long whakapapa to this particular bill but the essence of it is the protection and promotion of Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga. We have empowered the Māori Television Service through this bill to enter into the digital age. It is going to be exciting to see what the future holds in terms of the digital platforms and the different mediums by which we will be able to consume content from the Māori Television Service but fundamentally it is about te reo me ōna tikanga.So yes this is a significant occasion. My thoughts go to the late Hon Parekura Horomia the instigator the champion and the Minister in charge of the establishment of the Māori Television Service who enshrined a review mechanism that has now led us to this review coming up to the 10th anniversary of the Māori Television Service. So we acknowledge those who have passed rātou ki a rātou but tātou te hunga ora. We are delighted to usher in this new chapter for Māori Television and the clarified and sharpened functions for the service. But there is also the conferring of rights to Te Pūtahi Paoho which will manage the spectrum that will be allocated which will allow the Māori Television Service to broadcast through the 4G digital platform in high definition—yes the wonders of modern broadcasting. So we commend this bill.We do support this bill. Sure we have raised some concerns regarding the composition of Te Pūtahi Paoho. But I notice that there is one name and one organisation on here that I do acknowledge—and I am so pleased that it is still there—Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo. I acknowledge the koroua kaumātua Huirangi Waikerepuru who was as I understand it one of the original claimants before the Waitangi Tribunal. They also took a case all the way to the Privy Council to fight for the recognition that the Crown has an active obligation. That Privy Council case established that the Crown has an active duty to protect and promote Te Reo Māori. It is a legal obligation on the Crown based on the Treaty. That rangatira who is still on Te Pūtahi Paoho is what this is all about. We need those elder statesmen and those kaumātua to be on those bodies in recognition of the contribution that they have made in fighting for our language for its survival.It is just wonderful that we can recognise those bodies and I guess we are looking forward to the Minister of Māori Affairs sharpening up the composition of Te Pūtahi Paoho. Sure if there are some redundant organisations that have been withdrawn or are discontinuing let us tidy that up—you know kei te pai—and then let us get on with the mahi.I do have one story which has actually just come back to me. In a former life of mine I suppose a few years ago I was a corporate lawyer—in the mid to late 1990s. This was around the time when there were a lot of asset sales going on. There were the sales of Contact Energy and the Auckland International Airport and we were doing some work for a very big corporate investment banking firm whose people had flown in from overseas. We were talking with Treasury and in those days the sale of Television New Zealand (TVNZ) was very very close to happening.Hon Maurice Williamson: I tried—I tried.RINO TIRIKATENE: Lo and behold it was that Minister opposite over there. So it was very close to taking place. I was involved in that and I had to give the advice to the investment bankers as to what the risks were and what was going to happen. The essence of my advice was that the Crown could not proceed with the sale at that time because it was too risky because of the legal obligations that the Crown had to Māori particularly in terms of the protection of the Māori language. So fortunately yes my advice was correct because the Government did back down from the sale. It backed down because it did have a legal obligation. It took a Labour Government to actuallyfulfil the obligation under the Treaty that led to the creation of the Māori Television Service. So here we are nearly 10 years on and the Māori Television Service is thriving. I certainly do hope that TVNZ is not on the radar of this Government for any potential future sale—that is all I can say.In passing can I get back to the core functions of the Māori Television Service. It is about the protection and promotion of Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga and I am looking forward to seeing more creative content. In particular we have amended the functions of the Act to take into account the quality the integrity of Te Reo for native speakers—first-language speakers—as well. We may see the proliferation of more channels or more avenues for content for different audiences. We are seeing that with the Te Reo channel that it has already and we might see further refinement. It might be particular iwi—who knows? The future is definitely exciting.I do look forward to seeing Māori Television progress. I look forward to the announcement of its new chief executive when that person is finally appointed. Māori Television definitely needs a new chief to steer that waka.Hon Maurice Williamson: I wantMister Edin Te Reo again. He was good.RINO TIRIKATENE: Well there might beMister Edin Te Reo but I am looking forward to the—oh I forget the name but there is the NBA—the free-to-air National Basketball Association games which screen on Māori Television. I am looking forward to hearing Pierre Lyndon giving commentary with his great Ngāti Hine dialect—“The ball goes down to Steven Adams in the low post. He does a move and he goes down the keyhole and he does a two-handed slamdunk in the face right on top of LeBron James.”—all in the most beautiful Reo language. So it is exciting and I might be able to watch that on my mobile phone or through high-definition TV.I commend this bill to the House. I look forward to considering it further and I wish Māori Television all the very best. Kia ora tātou.