Finlayson Christopher: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 09 April 2014. Volume:697;Page:17121. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage):I move That the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. This bill amends the Waitangi National Trust Board Act 1932. Its principal purpose is to make changes to the membership of the trust board.The board is charged with looking after what is probably the most significant historical site in New Zealand—the most important to the nation. It is at this site that James Busby the British Government’s first official representative erected the residency that we now call the Treaty House. On the lawn the Confederation of the United Tribes of Aotearoa first raised its flag in 1834 and signed a declaration of independence the following year. Lieutenant Governor Hobson and Māori representatives met there to sign the Treaty in 1840. In 1940 the centenary commemorations of that signing saw the realisation of Sir Apirana Ngata’s vision of a new whare rūnanga close to the Treaty House. A magnificent ceremonial waka also completed for the centenary is housed in the grounds and is still used on Waitangi Day as we all know. The grounds have been the focus of the nation’s Treaty commemorations for several decades. They have become a destination of interest to large numbers of New Zealanders and international visitors alike and these numbers of course can only continue to grow in the future.Before I outline the provisions of the bill it is instructive to recall how the current legislation came into being and how the Treaty House its grounds and surrounding land were secured for the nation. The Busby property changed hands several times in the 19th and early 20th centuries and in 1932 it was about to be sold again. Over the years there had been some Government interest in purchasing part of the property but no sale had eventuated. In 1932 it is fair to say the considerable economic challenges resulting from the Great Depression were foremost in the minds of the people.We can thank Vernon Reed for the role he played in saving the Treaty House. He was a former member of Parliament and he escorted the Governor-General Lord Bledisloe and Lady Bledisloe on a visit to see the Treaty House. Mr Reed was very keen to see public ownership of the site and had already petitioned the Government to purchase it. The Bledisloes for their part knew about the major constitutional events that had taken place at Waitangi and appreciated its historical importance. When they visited the site they were very affected by the sad state of the house. The Bledisloes there and then resolved to purchase the property themselves much to the delight of Mr Reed who had merely hoped to gain their support in his latest bid for Government ownership of the site. We are very fortunate indeed that the Bledisloes had the foresight to gift not only the Treaty House and its immediate surroundings but a full 506 hectares the Waitangi estate in perpetuity to the people of this land.Lord Bledisloe wanted not just to reclaim a part of New Zealand’s history but also to seek reconciliation to heal past controversies. He said he wanted to foster the sense of nationhood and to link for ever Māori and Pākehā on a common basis for a common good. In a time of high unemployment he also saw the restoration process as an opportunity to create work. To this end he provided £1000 for the Waitangi renovation fund to restore the Treaty House and other parts of the grounds. The Government contributed a further £500.The 1932 Act gave statutory effect to the Waitangi National Trust deed and established the trust board. It vested the estate and the board to be held in trust for the people of New Zealand as a place of historic interest recreation and enjoyment. The composition of the board reflected Lord Bledisloe’s wish to maintain an enduring relationship between tangata whenua and Pākehā in the governance of the site and to ensure ongoing Government involvement in the work. Board members were to include descendents of particular individuals both Māori and Pākehā who had been prominent at the time of the signing of the Treaty; a representative of Māori living north of Auckland and a representative of Māori living south of Auckland as well as representatives of the Bay of Islands and the South Island; and a prominent person with a background in politics history archaeology or natural history. The Government was represented on the board through ex officio rules for the Prime Minister and two Government Ministers. Governors-General were also to be given the option of becoming ex officio members.Under the deed the board was given powers to manage the estate including protecting and enhancing its heritage values engaging in income-generating activity and making by-laws to regulate conduct within the estate. It is not surprising that participation by the Governor-General the Prime Minister and the two Ministers in the board’s decision making has been somewhat limited. Quite apart from the potential conflict between their two roles—constitutional and board member—there is a risk of damage to the Crown’s reputation and to the office of Governor-General if for example the trust were to embark on a commercial venture that subsequently failed or took decisions that proved to be controversial.The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has reviewed the Act. It has identified these issues which must be attended to. The board needs workable governance arrangements that maintain the original intent of the Act and also reflect contemporary expectations of board members. So what the bill does is create a clearer formal separation between the Government and the board while ensuring a practical ongoing workable relationship.New section 4A establishes a new statutory Crown representatives group comprising the Prime Minister the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage and the Minister of Māori Affairs replacing the ex officio roles previously provided for in the Act. This group is intended to be a vehicle for ongoing dialogue between the Government and the board. It may well be convenient and indeed symbolically appropriate for their meetings to occur on or around Waitangi Day when the board and the Crown representatives would be up there at Waitangi.New section 4B broadens the current membership of the board by providing for parliamentary representation. Two members of Parliament are to be appointed as full members of the board. One will be nominated by the Prime Minister and the other by the Leader of the Opposition and this will ensure that a Government and a parliamentary perspective will be represented at the board table. The terms of office of the parliamentary representatives will expire at the end of the parliamentary term in which they are appointed if they become Government Ministers or if they cease to be members of this House. Part 2 contains miscellaneous provisions to amend the deed of trust and to provide for transitional arrangements for people serving as representative members of the board when the Act comes into force. These are all very sensible amendments that modernise the trust’s governance. They in no way diminish or negate Lord Bledisloe’s vision for the trust board and its work.As I noted earlier the trust board has broad responsibilities that go beyond the maintenance of the buildings on the site. These changes come at an important time as we look forward to the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty in 2015. The board has ambitious plans to improve the visitor experience at Waitangi. This work includes upgrading the existing visitor centre improving interpretation at the site and undertaking a major reinterpretation of the Treaty House. The board also plans to encourage visits by schoolchildren and to build a new museum which is intended to give New Zealanders and overseas visitors the opportunity to learn more about the early history of New Zealand. The board is also intending to promote Waitangi as a visitor attraction to tourists using an enhanced online presence as a marketing tool.The Government looks forward to seeing this work progress and to a continuing positive relationship with the board. The board on its part has expressed support for the changes contained in the bill and welcomes the prospect of a new working relationship with the Government. I am confident these changes will also be widely supported by other parties in this House. I commend the bill to the House.