Maori Purposes Bill — Procedure Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Maori Purposes Bill — Procedure Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 13 September 2011. Volume:675;Page:21251. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Maori Purposes Bill 
Procedure 
Hon SIMON POWER (Acting Leader of the House) 
: 
 Following the agreement of the Business Committee I seek leave following the second reading of the Maori Purposes Bill for the bill to be divided into four bills as set out on Supplementary Order Paper 270 and for the four bills so divided to be set down for third reading forthwith without debate. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none. 
Second Reading 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (Associate Minister of Maori Affairs) 
 on behalf of the Minister of Maori Affairs: I move  
That the Maori Purposes Bill be now read a second time 
. The Maori Purposes Bill brings together amendments to the Maori Trust Boards Act the Maori Fisheries Act Te Ture Whenua Maori Act and legislation affecting the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora. 
Part 1 amends legislation to remove Crown involvement in the administration of the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora. Following the passing of Pukepuke Tangiora in 1936 the life beneficiaries under her will made various petitions to Parliament for relief from the terms of the will. These terms were altered by Parliament through provisions in various Maori Purposes Acts but as a result the Crown now has a more significant role in the administration of the estate than would otherwise be the norm. 
For example trustees of the estate are appointed by the Governor-General by Order in Council on recommendation from the Minister of Maori Affairs rather than by the High Court or the Maori Land Court. In recognition of the right of estate members to exercise control over their own affairs the bill clarifies the jurisdiction of the Maori Land Court to appoint and dismiss trustees of the estate in accordance with the wishes of estate whanau and to hear all matters relating to the administration of the estate. This is consistent with the Maori Land Court’s jurisdiction in respect of other trusts over Maori land. 
Similarly in 1943 Parliament removed the original will’s requirement that all estate assets be retained in trust for 20 years following the death of the last remaining life beneficiary before being distributed. This bill therefore extends the trust period to 5 years after the death of the last remaining life beneficiary in order to give the estate whanau time in which to make decisions about a possible future governance entity to hold and manage estate assets. 
Part 2 amends the Maori Fisheries Act to enable the transfer of mandated iwi organisation status and fisheries settlement assets between separate entities operating within the same iwi. Should such a transfer be attempted at the current time the protected provisions of the Act would require the settlement assets to be offered for sale to the highest bidder from other mandated iwi organisations and from Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Ltd. This is clearly an unintended consequence of the Act. Allowing iwi to consolidate their fisheries settlement assets under a single entity will enable them to realise greater benefits from the management of their assets. The bill will not exempt iwi from the requirement to meet the provisions of any other legislation that may be required to effect a transfer. 
Part 3 amends the Maori Trust Boards Act to provide for direct accountability between trust boards and their beneficiaries. Present requirements for Maori trust boards to be publicly audited and accountable to the Minister of Maori Affairs for their financial arrangements will be updated as they no longer reflect the environment in which trust boards operate. Instead the bill requires trust boards to hold an annual general meeting to report to their beneficiaries on their activities and plans for the future including the presentation of audited annual accounts budgets and other information. The bill also provides that trust boards are to be audited privately rather than audited by the Auditor-General. Rather than charging the Minister of Maori Affairs with approving the trust board’s annual budget the bill now only requires the audited accounts and budget to be supplied to the Minister for his or her information only. 
Finally Part 4 of the bill makes various minor drafting changes to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 and the Maori Incorporations Constitution Regulations 1994. All of the amendments in this bill are tangible manifestations of the National Government’s commitment to a more prosperous future for Maori. They are important in supporting the increasing independence of Maori in the stewardship of their assets. 
I support the recommendation of the Maori Affairs Committee that the bill proceed without amendment and I thank the committee for its work on this bill. I commend the bill to the House. 
Hon MITA RIRINUI (Labour) 
: 
 A kati kia ora tatou kai roto i te Whare. Kia ora tatou te ahuatanga o tenei pire kei waenganui i a tatou. Ka roa tenei pire e hikoi haere i waenganui i nga ropu e rua i tenei wa kua tae ki te mutunga o tana hikoi. I timatahia mai nga taukumekume e pa ana ki tenei pire i raro i te Minita Maori i roto i te Kawanatanga Reipa na kare i tutuki te korero a kua tae mai ra ki tenei Minita a Honore Takuta Pita Sharples. Hoi ano te ahua nei kua ea nga korero katoa e pa ana ki te pire nei.  
[ 
Greetings indeed to us in the House. In regard to the Maori Purposes Bill that is with us its journey between the two parties has been a long one but it is finally at an end. The struggles relating to this bill began under the watch of the former Minister of Maori Affairs when Labour was in Government but the discussions remained incomplete. That continued until the bill eventually arrived under the watch of this Minister of Maori Affairs the Hon Dr Pita Sharples. Everything about this bill appears to be satisfied now. 
] 
In the absence of the Minister of Maori Affairs I acknowledge the contribution of the Associate Minister of Maori Affairs with regard to the Maori Purposes Bill 2010. There are some positive aspects to this bill which the Labour Opposition will support for obvious reasons. However having had considerable contact with this bill over a number of years particularly in relation to the Pukepuke Tangiora estate I have to say that probably this particular aspect of the bill is the only part of the bill I am completely satisfied with when we consider the long journey since 1936 of this particular matter and the attempts by the Pukepuke Tangiora whanau to rectify interference by the Crown. This particular matter is a typical example of what we call the paternalism of the State. The Maori whanau were considered to be incapable of managing their own estate and their own affairs so the Crown intervened and decided it was in a better position to elect trustees and determine the terms of reference of this particular trust. 
I have to say that the Minister the Hon Dr Pita Sharples did a very very good job in actually bringing this matter to a close. It is a pity though that he did not acknowledge through some means in Parliament that this whanau was entitled to some form of compensation if not an apology. But the Maori Affairs Committee decided that that was out of the terms of reference of the select committee and let the matter carry on. 
In my own opinion a number of opportunities were lost in regard to this particular bill. I make reference for example to the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act and the changes to it. It was a good opportunity for the Minister of Maori Affairs to once again cut away some of the strings of paternalism that the State seems to think it needs to have over particular Maori organisations. Maori are faced with issues around land retention. Yes they are—there is no doubt about that. The greatest issues Maori face in the 21st century are around Maori land utilisation. This would have been a good opportunity to make necessary changes to the bill to bring about an environment where Maori landowners could actually treat their assets or the intergenerational assets they hold on particular land in the same way as most people would prefer to manage their land and their personal taonga. Sadly this is an opportunity lost. I spoke with the Minister of Maori Affairs on a number of occasions and tried to persuade him to look a bit wider than the scope of this bill and to allow for much more economic activity in relation to Maori assets—in particular land. 
I will comment on another matter. Once again I think it is an opportunity lost although I congratulate the Minister on the changes he has made to the Maori Trust Boards Act. Basically once again it cuts away the strings of the State and allows Maori trust boards to act like most commercial entities to get on with their business and to grow the assets they have without actually looking over their shoulder. They no longer have to pick up the phone every so often and ring the Minister of Maori Affairs to ask whether it is all right to have a hui to talk about some economic development opportunities they are considering and whether it is all right to spend $100 while they do it. That is how ridiculous it gets. We cannot expect trust boards to be serious commercial entities when these types of strings are attached. I am told it is almost kua pau te wa ki ahau. 
Maybe some time in the near future the next Minister of Maori Affairs—hopefully in Cabinet and not outside Cabinet—makes some robust decisions about the future of Maoridom and allows Maori organisations to get on with the business. Very few trust boards actually remain in existence that have not been overhauled at one time or another and this would have been an opportunity to allow them all to go through that process and be considered serious economic development entities in Te Ao Maori. 
Congratulations go in part to the Minister but I certainly acknowledge the Associate Minister of Maori Affairs who is here this evening representing the Minister of Maori Affairs and speaking to this particular legislation. I know that she has had very little contact with it through the Maori Affairs Committee but I think she has done very well regardless. Kia ora. 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Mr Speaker— 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Hitchhiker! 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I say to “Boy” that he would know all about that. As the chairman of the Maori Affairs Committee I first of all pay my respects to the Hon Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan who during the process was of great assistance to the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora. 
I reiterate what my colleague on our committee Mita Ririnui said: the gestation of the issue before the House has been a very long one. My colleague mentioned 1936; in 1936 my great-grandfather was still a member of this House and that is a long long time ago. It shows us how long the process has been to get to this point where we will actually overturn what Parliament decided in 1943. So I am over the moon that we can say that to this whanau. 
After this bill was introduced it came to our select committee during not this Parliament but the Parliament before when I the Hon Georgina te Heuheu Dr Pita Sharples Mita Ririnui and even our then chairman Dave Hereora were members. We first got this submission from the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora and there were two living descendants who came to us. Unfortunately through this whole process one has passed away and there is only one survivor. 
What the bill does is exactly what my colleague Mita Ririnui said it does. That is it takes away the State’s interference in what is essentially a personal matter. It actually goes back to the original last will and testament of Pukepuke Tangiora. I for one was gobsmacked when I read about and delved into this particular topic to find that Parliament could overturn somebody’s last will and testament. It was Pukepuke Tangiora’s last words on a piece of paper so I was very very surprised that Parliament was able to overturn those wishes. I think what we will do tonight is make a grand gesture to that family. 
Finally I say in response to Mita Ririnui and the opportunities that he says we may have missed—that is having a good hard look at the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act—that I am very hopeful that in the new Parliament we will get to review the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act because it is over 15 years old. It was brought to the House primarily to stop the alienation of Maori land. I think that now that we have grown as a people it is time for us to review that law in terms of how Maori go ahead and move forward as the economic powerhouse that they are. 
Having said all of that I say thank you to the Minister of Maori Affairs. I say thank you to the Associate Minister of Maori Affairs the Hon Georgina te Heuheu for bringing this finally to the House and for ending a very very long long journey tonight. Kia ora. 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 A tena ano tatou e te Mangai o te Whare. Tuatahi e whakaatu atu ki a tatou i roto i te Whare ka tautoko matou o te Ropu Reipa i tenei pire kia oti wawe tana whiriwhiringa i tenei po. Tautoko ano hoki matou i nga whakaritenga i whakatakotongia ai kia kaua rawa atu tenei po katoa e pau i a tatou e taukumekume ana mo tenei pire. Konei atu i tera puta nga korero atu i taku hoa i a Mita ko te nuinga o nga mahi ehara matou i te tauhou ki enei mahi mena e oti i a matou te whakamahi i te ture hei muru i nga raruraru he aha oti te he o tera kia riro ma te iwi no ratou nga taonga e whiriwhiri me aha nga taonga.  
Nga poari o te Ao Maori kua to te ra ki runga i ena poari. Ena poari i whakatutungia ai i te wa i mua noa atu i te taha ki a matou o roto i Te Tai Tokerau i mua noa atu i te Pakanga Tuarua. Ara noa atu wetahi o nga poari i whakatungia ai e ratou ka pahemo ki muri. Na reira me pena nga korero mo te wahanga ki nga kaupapa mataitai ki te pire mo nga ika hore he raruraru ta te mea ki te tinihia te ingoa haunga ano te ingoa engari ko te runanga o te poari ranei te ropu hei arataki i nga take pakihi o roto i tetahi iwi me kaua rawa atu tatou e whakauaua i te huarahi haere ma ratou; katahi tenei ka whakamamatia. Na reira me pera rawa te korero i roto i te reo aro nui ka nui noa atu to matou tautoko. Na reira tena tatou katoa. 
[ 
Greetings once again to us Mr Deputy Speaker of the House. Firstly I want members of the House to know that the Labour Party supports this bill and its deliberations being completed very quickly tonight. We also endorse the arrangements outlined whereby we do not spend all of this evening opposing each other over this bill. Furthermore my colleague Mita Ririnui alluded to the fact that much of what is involved is not new to us. If we can implement the law as a means of removing any problems what is wrong with doing that and leaving it for the tribe that owns the resources to negotiate how those resources are to be used? 
As far as Maori boards are concerned the sun has set on them. For us in the far north such boards were set up a long time ago long before the Second World War and several boards established back then have long since disappeared. The discussions should be the same when it comes to the part dealing with policies relating to seafood and the amendment regarding the fisheries. It is not a problem because when it comes to a name-change—not so much the name perhaps but rather the board’s executive; the entity to lead the business arm within the tribe—we must never hinder the way forward for the entity. That must be mollified then. The general policy statement must therefore reflect that and we endorse that wholeheartedly. Thank you all. 
] 
Naturally we will support the Maori Purposes Bill. It need not be a matter of controversy. I find myself in the unusual position of agreeing with Tau Henare and I am sad only that this bill does not contain a section dealing with sign language. There is scope. One of the Maori trust boards that will be improved could be encouraged to offer sign language lessons and indeed I would encourage the great-grandson of the original Tau Henare in the House to take sign language lessons to ensure that he does not unwittingly worsen his position of chairman of the Maori Affairs Committee by putting his thumb the wrong way putting his finger in the wrong direction or indeed giving the impression that he is giving a gang salute because that will not advance the interests of our people. 
The Minister of Maori Affairs this evening has been represented by Georgina te Heuheu and she has done it ably. 
I do not think we should overlook the fact that we see we are in a deep crisis when we look at the position of our young men and women in Maoridom. Whilst simplifying the process in order for Maori fisheries assets to be better managed Maori trust boards to be slowly reformed or Pukepuke Tangiora’s estate to be modernised none of us—particularly Maori members on that side of the House—ought to lose sight of the fact that these are largely administrative changes that will impact on some of our people but not the majority. 
The majority of the people particularly the young people have been forgotten about. The policies that unfortunately drive a lot of the Maori affairs thinking at this particular point in time have consigned them to an unemployment scrap heap. Not a day or a night in this House should go past without our reminding the listeners of Parliament and the observers of politics that although these small amendments enjoy widespread support the deeper malaise afflicting our people has unfortunately led to an approach riddled with neglect. There is neglect that has come from the junior party the Maori Party and there is widespread neglect unfortunately that has come from the Maori members in the National Party. It is unfortunate that this bill this evening obscures the opportunity for us to talk about those real issues. I know that wild gesticulations from the other side of the House may occupy a wee bit of space but unfortunately they do not mask the reality and the reality is that as our people seek to make these improvements they are largely being forgotten ignored and neglected. 
It is a matter of some disappointment that that neglect is nowhere more evident than in the attitude of the former Minister of Maori Affairs. These issues were dealt with in a very unsatisfactory way back then. They were tidied up by Tau Henare in his dreams and were addressed by Parekura Horomia and that is why we support what Dr Pita Sharples is doing this evening. But the real issue is one of wilful neglect ignorance and a sense of our rangatahi being jettisoned. They are being jettisoned because the current Minister and the other Maori members of the Government have other priorities as reflected by the Prime Minister. That is an unpalatable fact and it pains me to point it out but in the interests of openness and the interests of candour it is very very important to do so. 
It comes as no great surprise that these fangs are actually hurting. Perhaps the best way to point this out is although we support the bill to remind the majority of our people that the major policies have left them worse off. Pukepuke Tangiora—kei te pai for the beneficiaries there. Fisheries—kei te pai. Maori trust boards—kei te pai. But the real challenge lies unfortunately in a state of neglect. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: The real challenge lies with the Labour leadership eh Shane? 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: All the shouting and all the wild finger painting in the air does not change that sad reality. 
I should finish on a more positive note. The more positive note is we will support this bill. We will truncate our speeches to ensure that we actually focus not only on the bill but on the issues that influence people’s lives. 
I cannot be held responsible for the fact that the Maori members on that side of the House are slowly diminishing in relevance. That is of their own doing. They are irrelevant not only in the hierarchy of the party as reflected by the very miserable rankings they enjoy but also in the very low rankings they are scoring amongst our people. They know they have been overlooked. They know they have been neglected. It is really a story of neglect: just as the trust boards have been neglected so the interests of Te Ao Maori have been neglected. It is a case where there is an inverse relationship between a loud voice and the ability to influence change. It is possible that some of those members opposite will be back for a second term. I have no doubt that they too will finally see the light as they watch the assets that earlier generations sought to secure and transfer to our people being wiped out and dissipated. We will not hear a single word of criticism because of the extent to which they have been both muted and in the case of the men neutered. Thank you very much. 
DAVID CLENDON (Green) 
: 
 Kei te mihi nui ki a koutou. I am pleased to take a brief call just to affirm the Greens’ support for the Maori Purposes Bill. It is a slightly unusual situation to be in to stand and support two Government bills in the course of a couple of hours but there is clearly a general consensus in favour of this bill. I have not had a close relationship with the bill but as I say the general consensus that it does good and does very little harm is reflected in the fact that all parties have supported its timely progress through the House to ensure that its provisions are not further compromised or complicated further down the track. 
To the extent that I have had some engagement with this bill it was a privilege I must say to hear at some length the story behind the remarkable person Pukepuke Tangiora. Clearly she was a remarkable personality in her time. It was an interesting and a very valuable story and one that I was privileged to hear. 
Dr Pita Sharples in his first reading comments on this bill made the very valid point that clearly the legislation in the late 1930s and early 1940s reflected a time and a context where it was considered appropriate for the Government to have much more involvement in and control over the lives—and the quite intimate lives—of people and not least of all of Maori. I think that with a more enlightened age we recognise that it is only the very brave or the very foolish who would endeavour to involve themselves in matters of a family not their own and I think it is a good thing that we are moving tonight to unpick some of that issue. 
Clearly this bill has been uncontroversial to the extent that it has had support from across the House for some time but I think that we ought not to dismiss the difficulty that the Maori Affairs Committee has faced. It had conflicting advice and input from various submitters and I think that on balance particularly in the business of administering this estate it has found a very good solution. 
The appropriate term has been found. Clearly any 3-year 5-year 6-year or 4-year term will be somewhat arbitrary but I give the select committee credit for the fact that it has made a decision that I think will serve the needs outlined. It is the most positive outcome that can be achieved. 
Under the question of the mandated iwi organisations having read through the background papers and the select committee report it would seem to me that the policy underpinning that issue is that control of matters Maori should be given to Maori to make decisions about. Clearly that is a principle that the Greens have and will always support and this is just a slight manifestation of it. 
The point has been made that perhaps this bill does not go as far as it might do and perhaps there are opportunities within it to do more and to achieve more change and that may well be a valid position. But as I say I do not feel qualified particularly to speak to that and therefore I will not except to just say again that it is clear to us that this bill actually achieves some considerable good. It appears to do no harm. Therefore we are very happy to support this bill. Kia ora. 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa. He pai tonu te whakarongo ki nga korero katoa i te po nei. Ko te ahua nei katoa o te Whare kai te tautoko ake i te ia o tenei o nga kaupapa. Ko taku i te tuatahi he mihi ki nga Minita ki te Minita mo nga Take Maori ki a Pita Sharples raua ko tana Hoa Haere ko Georgina te Heuheu. Kai te rongo ake i te ahuatanga o te korero o te taha Reipa i a ratau e ki ana a i timata mai ai i te wa i a ratau a me mihi ka tika.  
Me mihi ano ra ki te tiamana ki a Tau Henare nana tonu matau i arahi i roto i nga korero o te wa. I tae atu au ki roto i nga korero mo tenei pire me ki te wa i eke atu ai te whanau o te kuia ra me ki ko nga uri o Pukepuke Tangiora. I reira au e whakarongo ana ki nga korero.  
Ki taku mohio taihoa ake nei ka hoki mai ki tera o nga kaupapa engari ki taku mohio i tona whanuitanga he pai tenei pire. Ara no ona painga ahakoa kua whakawehewehehia ki nga mea e wha. I tona mutunga mai he painga ano ra o nga mea katoa. Mena ka timata ano ra i roto i te Maori Trust Boards Act 1955 
 
 he tika ta te Honore Shane Jones e no te ao kohatu ke tera o nga pire ara no na te hunga kua ngaro atu i noho nei i raro i te ahuatanga o nga poari o nga koroua te nuinga he tane i tera wa. No reira kua eke ki te wa me ki ki te titiro ki te ao hou. Ki taku titiro ara no nga raruraru kua puta i roto i nga poari a-tawhito nei engari i tenei ra no te ao hou ara no nga kaupapa kua ahua rereke ki era i wanangahia e nga koroua i te wa i a ratau. No reira me titiro ki tetahi huarahi hei whakatikatika i era raruraru. Ko tetahi mea ohorere ki a au ko te noho o nga poari nei i raro i nga here o te Minita otira o te Kawanatanga mo te whakaaetanga ki te tuku putea a ko te mana i hoki mai ki nga Minita. Ka mutu penei i ta te pire e ki nei me huri me tini te ture kia whai ko ta te ao hou e pirangi nei.  
Na mo te wahanga e pa ana ki Te Ture Whenua Maori Act me nga koporeihana me tautoko ka tika te whakangawari mai ai te whakahaere o era o nga ture ka mutu kia whakatikatika etahi take kua roa e noho tarewa ana.  
Mo te taha ki te Maori Fisheries Act 2004 he painga ano ra o tenei wahanga i te mea ko etahi o nga ropu hou penei i nga runanga penei i etahi o nga poari kua puta i roto i nga take a-tiriti he hiahia no ratau ki te whakakao mai i nga rawa katoa i raro i te korowai o tetahi ropu ana ko Ngai Tuhoe tetahi e whai atu i tenei tikanga.  
Ka mutu ko te wahanga o nga rawa o Pukepuke Tangiora ahakoa he uaua tera take i te mea he taukumekume i waenganui i te whanau i tona mutunga mai ki taku titiro i kite matau i tetahi huarahi hei whainga. Ehara i te mea ka rata mai te katoa ki tenei huarahi engari i te mea ruarua noa iho kotahi tonu te mea e toe ana ka riro mana e whakatau te tikanga kua eke ki te wa kia whakatau i tenei take i tenei wa tonu nei. No reira koinei taku e ki nei ki te katoa o tenei o nga Whare. 
[ 
Greetings Mr Deputy Speaker and greetings to us all. It is great to listen to all the speeches tonight. It appears that the whole House supports the tenor of this policy. First I want to acknowledge the Ministers namely the Hon Dr Pita Sharples Minister of Maori Affairs and his Associate Minister the Hon Georgina te Heuheu. I note the comments by Labour that the bill started when it was in Government. I acknowledge that of course. 
I must acknowledge the Hon Tau Henare the chairman of the Maori Affairs Committee as well. He guided us at the time through the deliberations. I joined the committee when submissions on this bill were being heard at the time when the family and descendants of that elderly lady Pukepuke Tangiora were making their submissions. I was there listening to the talk. I understand those talks which I will come back to later.  
This bill in its entirety is a good one. Its benefits are enormous. Despite it being divided into four parts in the end everything has its positive aspects. If we begin with the Maori Trust Boards Act 1955 the Hon Shane Jones is right in saying it is one from the Stone Age. A vast number of those who served on boards—ancient ones the majority of whom at the time were men—have long since died. Therefore the time has come to look at the new world shall we say. From my perspective many many problems came out of the old trust boards but in this day of the new world matters are somewhat different from those discussed by the old ones in their time. Therefore we must look for a way to address those problems. What alarms me is the fact that these boards are accountable to the Minister and indeed to the Government in terms of agreements around the release of funds and that the mandate must come back to Ministers. In the end it is like what this bill says: the law must be changed to accommodate the needs of the present world.  
In terms of the part dealing with Te Ture Whenua Maori Act and incorporations support must be given to ease the control of those laws. This would eventually lead to some matters that have been suspended for a long time being amended. 
In respect of the Maori Fisheries Act 2004 this part has benefits as well because new entities like tribal councils and some boards that have emerged out of Treaty matters want to bring together all of their assets under the cloak of a single entity. Ngai Tuhoe is one tribe aiming to do this.  
Finally although the part that deals with the Pukepuke Tangiora assets is a difficult one and there is tension among the family in the end—and from my perspective—we have found a way forward. Not everyone will be satisfied with this because there were not many options; there was only the one option left to resolve this issue at this present time. This then is what I advocate to everyone in this House. 
] 
We are looking for some benefits to come out of this particular legislation and I say that from my perspective and the Maori Party’s perspective we are very pleased that there will be benefit across the board. Mr Jones might have the view that it does not get everyone and that is probably correct but as far as I am concerned the legislation was fairly focused on fixing up legislation that had long needed to be considered and fixed up. I think that the Maori Affairs Committee has done a good job of addressing those issues. As I say I acknowledge the leadership provided by our two Ministers the Hon Georgina te Heuheu and Dr Pita Sharples and by our chair the Hon Tau Henare who did a good job of keeping us on track and keeping us focused. Ka nui te mihi ki a ratou. 
[ 
I acknowledge them greatly. 
] 
Will this bill benefit Maori? I think that it will. It improves accountability arrangements between Maori trust boards and their beneficiaries—that is one thing. It removes Crown involvement in the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora and provides the beneficiaries with sufficient time to make decisions on the future governance entities for the estate. It improves the administration of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 and the Maori Incorporations Constitution Regulations 1994 and removes an unintended consequence of the Maori Fisheries Act 2004. 
I will touch just briefly on those four Acts. Firstly there are the changes to the Maori Trust Boards Act 1955. As other speakers have said we are in a new world. The old traditional Maori trust boards as Mr Jones outlined come from a time when they were mostly male-dominated. They had their time they had a place but things have moved on. We can reflect on some of the good things that have been done by those trust boards but also we recognise that times have moved on and we need to make some changes. 
For example the bill provides direct accountability between the trust boards and beneficiaries which has got some of the boards into hot water in times gone by. For fear of getting myself in hot water I had better not mention any of them but a number have got themselves into some real clashes with their beneficiaries. This bill requires them to hold a hui-a-tau—an AGM—and report back to their people. I am sure that those people will appreciate that. 
The bill removes the requirement that trust boards have their financial information approved by the Minister of Maori Affairs and audited by the Office of the Auditor-General. The Minister now has to receive just their accounts and an annual budget for information which is a really big move for some of those boards. Again as I say—I cannot remember but the Hon Tau Henare might be able to remind me—it seemed to me that the Te Arawa Maori Trust Board was restricted to signing off only a certain amount of funding. It had to come back to the Minister to get approval for more and I think the limit was only a small amount. How much was it? 
Hon Member 
: A couple of hundred. 
TE URUROA FLAVELL 
: It was a couple of hundred dollars. It had to come back and get sign-off for more than a couple of hundred dollars. That is crazy. It might have been good in 1955 but these days it just does not cut it so I think there are some good things there. 
As others have said in relation to the changes to legislation affecting the estate of the Pukepuke Tangiora whanau this bill removes the role of the Crown in the administration of the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora. We agreed pretty much with that; it was not appropriate that the trustees were appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister. We kind of thought we should put that administration back in the hands of the whanau and let them sort it out. We will give them some time and the Maori Land Court will hear matters relating to the administration of the estate including the appointment and removal of trustees. 
The bill extends the time at which the estate must be distributed to 5 years after the death of the last life beneficiary—which some might not agree to but I think that was where we got to after a good discussion—to enable the estate to have time to make decisions about future governance entities to hold and manage the estate assets. Consultation hui as we heard were held with the beneficiaries and trustees of the estate about those matters and although there might have been a little bit of disagreement in general terms they came with it. 
I will not touch too much on the changes to the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act other than to say that minor technical details will improve the administration of the legislation—for example clarifying situations whereby Maori landowners are required to send copies of documents to the Maori Land Court. 
Finally there are changes to the Maori Fisheries Act. As I said the time has come for us to open up the door to allowing our iwi entities if they decide to to draw in those mandated iwi organisations under one banner for the benefit of getting better leverage from the asset. In my particular case in Waiariki I know that the Tuhoe nation have been looking forward to the ability to pool together their fisheries— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Tuhoe nation? Why a nation? New Zealand’s the nation. 
TE URUROA FLAVELL 
: That is according to that member. The Tuhoe ones reckon they have their own nation and I too am happy to say they do. But anyway I am just saying that it is a good idea that they are able to pool together all of their assets into one bag and therefore get maximum leverage in that regard. As I say he painga ano ra o tenei o nga pire mo te hunga i rongo nei i tona kakara. Te tikanga ia ka puta nga painga a ko ake nei. Kia ora tatau. 
[ 
This bill has positive aspects for those touched by its effects. Hopefully its benefits will emerge in good time. Greetings to us all 
.] 
PAUL QUINN (National) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Deputy Speaker. Tena koutou te Whare. The Maori Purposes Bill in many ways is considered like most of these bills to be an administrative tidy-up bill. 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Have you read it? 
PAUL QUINN 
: Just listen a little longer and find out e hoa. But in fact this bill in many ways represents the difference between that side of the House and this side of the House because the bill is much more than just an administrative tidy-up. This bill is about getting rid of paternalism and handing power back to the people. In fact it is a living document that espouses the Te Puni Kokiri mantra of Maori realising Maori potential—getting rid of the State getting rid of the paternalistic organisations that try to tell us how Maori should live their lives and allowing them to achieve their own aspirations in their way. We have only to go through three specific parts of the bill in order to realise that. 
The first one of course concerns the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora. We have heard a lot about that including speeches from Labour: the excellent contribution from my cousin Mita and to a smaller extent all the waffle from Shane. There was something in there and I think he was supporting the bill. But the surprising thing about this matter is that it took a National Government to understand that these people wanted to do it themselves and get rid of the State from their lives. So this is just the first example in the bill of taking the State out of people’s lives out of Maori communities’ lives and handing the power back. 
We then move to the amendment to the Maori Fisheries Act. I will read from the explanatory note part of the general policy statement in respect of the amendments to the Maori Fisheries Act: “This ability to transfer status and assets was not contemplated when the Act was developed”. Shane Jones was the chair of the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission when that Act was put in place. I tell members as true as I stand here that this very issue was pointed out to the commission. It was told that given the way that Labour had designed the Act Maori iwi would not be able to restructure their fisheries assets to their own advantage without going back to the chair Shane Jones. Shane wanted to stamp his mark—you know; he needed to earn his chairperson’s per diem. He needed to earn his chairperson’s commission while he was double-dipping as an MP. 
Hon Members 
: Aha! 
PAUL QUINN 
: He was double-dipping so he justified that by trying to force Ngati Awa to come and say they wanted to change their corporate structure saying: “Please please Mr Jones can I have your permission?”. That is the sort of paternalistic approach adopted and typified by members on the other side of the House. 
Of course finally the commission now that Shane has moved out of there has got rid of the oversight and actually let Maori people get on with their lives. It has finally come to the realisation that actually Maori iwi should be able to restructure their affairs internally without having to go back to the commission. So we applaud this move and fully support it. Again this change is enabled only because a National Government has shown initiative. 
There are also amendments to the Maori Trust Boards Act to enable trust boards to report to their own iwi. How long has that problem been in the Act? It has been there since 1955. How many Labour Governments have we had in that time? 
Simon Bridges 
: About two. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: No too many. 
PAUL QUINN 
: Too many. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: How long did that one have? 
PAUL QUINN 
: Labour had 9 long years. It just goes on and on. Again it has taken a National Government to empower the Maori people. 
As we can see and as I hope I have explained to the House this bill is a testament to the values set of the National Government in terms of enabling people to get on with their lives without the State interfering. It is about Maori realising Maori potential. Thank you. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Just before I call the honourable member can we use full names for titles. I know it has been happening on both sides. If you are all cousins I guess that is fine but we do have to use proper names. 
KELVIN DAVIS (Labour) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Tera tetahi korero kua rongo ahau i runga i nga marae o te nota e mama noa iho nga korero o te kaikorero mutunga ara te tautoko noa iho i nga korero kua puta i mua ake i a ia. Na reira ko wai ahau hei whakahe i nga korero o oku tuakana ra te Honore Shane Jones raua ko te Honore Mita Ririnui engari e kore au e ahei kia tu ki konei ki te kore whakaiti i wena o nga korero heahea o tera o nga koroke a Paul Quinn: wana korero porangi e pa ana ki nga mahi kua mahingia e ratou ara te Ropu Nahinara me te whakapae ano hoki na te Minita nana i tu hei whakamaramatia nga ahuatanga e pa ana ki tenei pire. Nana i ki e whakapau kaha ana ratou o tera taha ki te hapai i nga ahuatanga e pa ana ki te iwi Maori engari kite ana matou i roto i nga niupepa ia ra kei runga i te pouaka whakaata ia ra nga raruraru e pangia nei i a tatou rangatahi Maori e kore mahi ana e kore whiwhi ana i nga tohu matauranga wera ahuatanga. Na reira e whakaaro ana ahau kei hea nga hua i korerohia e ratou mo to tatou iwi Maori? Ahakoa tua atu i tena e tautoko ana matou te Ropu Reipa i tenei pire me nga ahuatanga kei roto.  
Kua papouri ahau i te rangona i nga korero a te Honore Tau Henare mai i te timatanga o tenei pire kua mate tetahi o nga morehu o te whanau o nga uri o Pukepuke Tangiora. Papouri ana ahau te rangona mai i te roanga o tenei pire kei to matou aroaro kei te aroaro o tenei Whare kua mate tetahi o ratou. Na reira e tika ana ma matou kia oti pai ai tenei kaupapa hei mua i te matenga o te mea morehu rawa atu. Na reira mihi kau ana ki taua whanau i a ratou e tatari ana mo tenei kaupapa kia ’hakatutuki pai ara mo ratou kua ’hakaingoatia i roto i te pepa ohaki o Pukepuke Tangiora mo ona moemoea mo ona wawata mo ana uri kia ’haka tutuki pai ai.  
Tika ana hoki e tautoko ana matou i te pire e pa ana ki nga ika ara mo nga rawa me nga iwi kia hokona atu ki waenganui i a ratou ano e pai ana tena i te mea ki te kore ratou e taea te hokohoko nga rawa ki waenganui i a ratou ano tera pea kei ngaro atu o ratou rawa ki tetahi kamupene tetahi iwi ke; ki ahau nei e pai ana ratou i naianei kia u ki to ratou ake tino rangatiratanga kei waenganui i a ratou ano.  
Me tera o nga wahanga e pa ana ki nga poari e tika ana mo nga poari kia haere ki to ratou ake iwi kia kore ratou e ripoata ake ra ki te Minita engari ki te whanau ki o ratou whanaunga e tika mo tena kaupapa kia whakamanahia ai. Me tera ahuatanga ano hoki mo ratou kia whakatu i tetahi hui a-tau ia tau me tetahi purongo a-tau me te whakamaramatia hoki te putea mo to ratou poari. Wera ahuatanga katoa 
e tautokongia ana e matou o te Ropu Reipa engari e kore au e taea te tu ki te kore e whakautua i nga porangitanga o tera taha e pa ana ki o ratou pohehetanga e hapai ana ratou i te iwi Maori.  
Hei korero mutunga maku me mihi kau atu hoki hau ki tera o nga kuia o tenei Whare kua huri ki tua i te arai ara te Honore Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan nana nei i tuhi mai ki ahau i muri i te panuitanga tuatahi o tenei pire e meatia ana i te mahi ia i te taha o te whanau o Pukepuke Tangiora na reira e papouri ana ahau kore ia kei konei a-tinana hei kite i te mutunga o tenei pire. Engari mohio ana tatou katoa o te iwi Maori kei konei ia a-wairua hei kite i tenei ahuatanga. Na reira ka nui nei oku. Kia ora. 
[ 
Greetings Mr Deputy Speaker. There is a saying on the marae of the far north that what the final speaker has to say is really quite easy in that all he or she has to do is to merely endorse what others have previously said. So who am I to oppose the sentiments of my elder colleagues the Hon Shane Jones and the Hon Mita Ririnui? However I cannot stand here without rebutting the foolish remarks by that extraordinary gentleman Paul Quinn: his crazy statements about what the National Government has accomplished and asserting as well that the Minister rose to explain the functions of this bill. He said that on that side members are working very hard to raise issues of concern to the Maori people yet the problems affecting our young Maori who are unemployed and without qualifications all those kinds of things are seen every day in the newspapers and on television. So I am thinking to myself where then are the outcomes for our Maori people that they are referring to? Notwithstanding that we in the Labour Party support this bill and what it contains.  
I was saddened to hear in the Hon Tau Henare’s address that a surviving member of a family belonging to one of Pukepuke Tangiora’s relatives died after this bill began its process. I am saddened by the fact that one should die while this bill has been before us and the House for such a long time. The right thing for us to do for the family is to ensure that this matter is well and truly resolved before the very last survivor passes away. My fond regards go to that family as they wait for this matter to be settled properly and go particularly to those named in Pukepuke Tangiora’s will in respect of her dreams and aspirations for her descendants.  
It is absolutely true as well that we support this bill in regard to fisheries and in particular the ability for tribes to be able to trade such resources amongst themselves. That is a good thing because if they are not able to trade with each other then it is more than likely that they will lose their resources to another company or tribe instead. For me personally the resources are safe now that the tribes retain the right to exercise their autonomy amongst themselves.  
In regard to the part relating to boards it is only right that they should go to their own tribe family or proper relatives to have a matter validated instead of reporting to a Minister. This includes holding annual meetings and presenting annual reports and financial statements about the board. We in the Labour Party support all of those situations but I will not rise without responding to crazy statements by members on the other side of the House about their assumptions that they are uplifting the Maori people by meeting their needs.  
In conclusion I pay a special acknowledgment to an esteemed elderly woman of this House the Hon Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan who has passed beyond the veil. She wrote to me after the first reading of this bill to say she was working with the family of Pukepuke Tangiora so I am saddened by the fact that she is not here in person to see the completion of this bill. But all of us in Maoridom know that she is here in spirit to witness it. That is enough from me. Thank you. 
] 
SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. It is a great privilege to speak on the Maori Purposes Bill. I do not know whether we will have any more bills from the Maori Affairs Committee before the end of this Parliament and I do not know what will happen after the election. I do not know whether there will still be a National Government and whether the Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Key—if he is Prime Minister—will see fit to put me back on this great select committee. So I pay tribute to the Hon Tau Henare. Some may say he is a hothead and granted I do have doubts about a man who drives a beaten-up red Audi in west Auckland but on this bill and on many many others before our select committee—and we are one of the busiest in terms of bills—he has chaired the committee with aplomb. I pay him the highest compliment I can pay a chair which is that he has had the discipline not to insert himself into the committee process but to be impartial to stand back. So he has done a very good job indeed. I pay tribute also to Minister te Heuheu and Minister Pita Sharples for their roles in this bill. 
The bill of course has a real history to it which we have heard from— 
Paul Quinn 
: Valedictory. 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: I say to Paul Quinn that it will not be my valedictory I think. Previous speakers have outlined the real history of this bill. I do not intend to go through that or to speak for very long. 
The bill is an omnibus bill. I pick up on one of the central debates in this section of this evening. The Hon Shane Jones said that really in this bill we are doing a pretty small set of things; the changes—to the extent that there are changes—are just administrative. I agree with my colleague the member Paul Quinn that actually the bill does a fair bit more than that. That is just another illustration of the differences between Labour and National. There is a common theme in what we are doing in this bill: we are improving Maori lives we are getting the State out of people’s lives and we are really being aspirational for the Maori people. 
Bill read a second time. 
The bill was divided into the Maori Purposes Bill the Maori Fisheries Amendment Bill the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill and the Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill pursuant to Supplementary Order Paper270. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The bills divided from that bill are set down for third reading forthwith.