Ririnui Mita: Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Ririnui Mita: Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:655;Page:4349] 
Hon MITA RIRINUI (Labour) 
 That was a very short call; it somewhat caught me by surprise. I thank the Hon Tau Henare for his very brief contribution to the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill. It goes without saying that we on this side of the House support the bill and I take the opportunity to thank the Minister of Fisheries for having the courage to run with this bill. I know that during the early discussions in 2008 and prior to that he expressed a number of concerns in terms of the time it was taking to resolve this particular matter. It is very helpful when a Minister who has a bit of understanding of the history of these issues comes into the House. I am sure he will be aware that the former Labour Government plucked this very difficult matter out of the too-hard basket from the previous National Government and it is to be acknowledged that it was a very very difficult matter to deal with. I am making these points clear for the benefit of the member for Te Tai Tonga who does not appear to have a very in-depth understanding of the history behind this matter although she has strong links to iwi at the top of the South Island. 
As I said I stand to endorse the comments made by previous speakers. I should also say that aquaculture is a very very important but volatile industry. Maori have been attempting to be major players in aquaculture for some time since the matter around Maori interests in the fisheries was raised under the fourth Labour Government also through the 1990s under a National Government then during the term of the previous Labour Government. As I say it is an important industry for Maori because whilst acknowledging the importance of this particular bill to the iwi of Hauraki and the iwi of the South Island—and they have been identified by my colleague the Hon Nanaia Mahuta—it is also important to acknowledge the contributions that other iwi are making in the area of aquaculture and also the difficulties they are having to deal with. My particular area of interest is of course Te Moana-a-Toi that is the Bay of Plenty coastline from mai i nga Kuri a Wharei ki Tihirau at the bottom of the Hauraki Gulf to Cape Runaway where vast areas of ocean have been identified for potential aquaculture. The House will be aware of moves made by iwi of Te Moana-a-Toi particularly Whakatohea during the 1990s and also up until very recently who have attempted to raise capital to develop an area that has been approved for aquaculture. 
Having said that I say it is also important to make clear that many of the issues that Maori are dealing with in the area of aquaculture are to do with investment. Although the top of the South Island and Hauraki have been compensated for disadvantages imposed on them through previous decisions iwi in the Bay of Plenty particularly the ones I have identified and those of Te Arawa and those of Mataatua are still at a stage where they have yet to encourage investment in their proposals. I would be interested to hear the views of the member for Waiariki about what options are available to those iwi in terms of their commercial interest in aquaculture because I am aware he has had discussions with them and I have had discussions with them previously over a number of years but still the issue around investment to assist them in aquaculture development remains a very very elusive one for them. 
Although we are talking about the benefits of this particular legislation for those iwi identified there is also the issue around overall Maori development in aquaculture. I would be very interested to hear from Government members how they propose to deal with these matters in the near future. I am sure the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations has some ideas about how Treaty settlements can be shaped to encourage also the development of Maori interests in aquaculture. I am aware that many Maori are now speaking about innovative settlement packages that not only might allow their entry into the industry but also might accelerate their entry so that they are at the same level as many of the big companies that are currently involved in all forms of aquaculture including mussel farming crayfish farming land-based paua farming and so forth. 
Although Maori have been involved in the development of the aquaculture industry for some time it would be fair to say that there is still some distance to go before Maori become serious players. Hauraki of course have been in aquaculture and mussel farming for well over a decade as far as I am aware and are looking to branch out into other areas. At the top of the South Island Marlborough Sounds is another good example of Maori investment in aquaculture. So it is important that we acknowledge the benefit of this particular legislation to the iwi of the South Island and Hauraki and I am hoping the Government is also looking wider at the difficulties being incurred in other parts of the country where Maori are hoping to invest in aquaculture. 
It goes without saying that members on this side of the House are in support of this bill. I would be very interested however to listen to the submissions that come to the select committee and at this stage it is not clear which committee this bill will go to. I assume that it will naturally go to the Primary Production Committee although the Maori Affairs Committee would be champing at the bit to get the opportunity to take responsibility for this bill. Of course it is a decision for the Minister. 
I do not have a lot more to contribute to the debate on the bill except to say that it will be very interesting to hear from submitters because that is the time when one will get an insight into the difficulties Maori have faced over a number of years in aquaculture and submitters also have good advice around Government policy. This bill is the result of a visit from the iwi that were mentioned and the request to deal with this settlement at an early stage. That is why we have this bill before us. I congratulate the representatives of those iwi and also congratulate the previous Minister of Finance who was also the previous Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. He saw an opportunity to drive the settlement forward even though it had been difficult. At this stage we would like to see the current Minister remain supportive of the bill and I do not see any reason why it should not be so and that all the iwi concerned have the opportunity to make submissions to the select committee. Thank you. 
Bill read a first time.