te Heuheu Georgina: Maori Purposes Bill — First Reading 
te Heuheu Georgina: Maori Purposes Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:668;Page:15365] 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (Associate Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in support of the Maori Purposes Bill. The amendments within this bill make a number of timely changes to Maori affairs legislation. Although they are largely administrative these changes are none the less important to various groupings of Maori. 
For members of the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora these changes are about removing unnecessary Crown involvement in the affairs of a private whanau. For Maori trust boards these changes are about providing a direct line of accountability between trust boards and their beneficiaries. For iwi the changes are about amending unintentionally restrictive provisions of the Maori Fisheries Act. For Maori landowners the changes are about improving the administration of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act. 
Pukepuke Tangiora was a politically active Maori woman with substantial land holdings in the Hawke’s Bay area. During her lifetime she was an active member of the Kotahitanga movement for an independent Maori Parliament the Ratana movement and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Pukepuke Tangiora’s original will came into effect upon her death in 1936. Under her will her estate was held for the benefit of her only son Te Akonga Mohi his wife and their nine children. Throughout the 20th century the Crown intervened to assume responsibility for the appointment and removal of trustees to the estate. The Crown also assumed responsibility for approving purposes for which estate moneys could be paid to estate beneficiaries. These are functions that the Crown continues to perform today. 
The Crown’s continued role in the administration of this estate is an unnecessary limitation upon the ability of the estate beneficiaries to manage their own affairs. Therefore the bill removes the role of the Minister of Maori Affairs and the Governor-General in the administration of the estate. This includes the appointment of estate trustees the fixing of trustees’ salaries and travelling allowances and the approval of purposes for which trustees may spend certain estate funds. The bill instead confirms the Maori Land Court’s jurisdiction to hear all matters relating to the administration of the estate. The bill also creates a 5-year window between the death of the last remaining life beneficiary and the distribution of the estate property. This is intended to give the beneficiaries time to realise their aspirations regarding the future of the estate. The National-led Government supports whanau making decisions about their own future. The beneficiaries of the estate of Pukepuke Tangiora have the experience and expertise to allow them to manage their own affairs. 
It is in the same spirit that the bill also makes changes to the Maori Trust Boards Act 1955. It provides for a more direct line of accountability between trust boards and their beneficiaries. At present trust boards are accountable to the Minister of Maori Affairs for their financial arrangements. This involves having their financial statements audited by the Auditor-General. Trust boards then submit their annual budgets and other financial information to the Minister of Maori Affairs for approval. This relationship is not consistent with the right of trust board beneficiaries to hold their own trust boards to account. It is also not appropriate in this day and age when Maori seek independence and self-reliance. The bill amends this relationship to provide for a direct line of accountability between trust boards and their beneficiaries. Trust boards will be required to hold an annual general meeting to report to beneficiaries on their operations and future plans. This includes making available financial information such as audited annual accounts and budgets. They will no longer be required to have their financial statements audited by the Auditor-General. Instead they will manage that privately. Trust boards have long wanted this change. The idea that in the 21st century they have to come back to the Minister of Maori Affairs to have every “t” crossed and every “i” dotted has been long resented. 
The bill also makes changes to the Maori Fisheries Act 2004 to ensure iwi are able to transfer mandated iwi organisation status and fisheries settlement assets between separate entities within their governance arrangements. At present the Maori Fisheries Act does not provide for such a transfer. It requires fisheries settlement assets to be offered for sale to other mandated iwi organisations and Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Ltd. In amending this unintentionally restrictive provision of the Maori Fisheries Act the bill helps iwi again manage their own affairs. 
Lastly the bill also makes technical changes to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act. These changes improve the administration of this Act and are consistent with this Government’s priorities concerning better regulation. For example the bill amends the provision of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act relating to the ability of a Maori incorporation to amend its own constitution. This clarifies the language of the provision making it easier for Maori incorporations to interpret. 
In summary the Maori Purposes Bill makes a number of timely changes to Maori affairs legislation. The bill contributes to the Government’s goal of a brighter and more prosperous future for Maori and more than anything it supports Maori in the management of their own affairs whether it be in the form of whanau trusts trust boards or commercial organisations. I support the referral of the bill to the Maori Affairs Committee .