Horomia Parekura: Third Readings — 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Horomia Parekura: Third Readings — 
[Sitting date: 15 May 2008. Volume:647;Page:16035. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I move  
That the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill (No 2) and the Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill (No 3)/Maori Land Amendment Bill (No 3) be now read a third time 
.  
E tika ake ano i runga i te tu nei ki te mihi kau ano i a koutou mai i te wahi o Tuwharetoa i te Roto o Taupo-nui-aTia me a koutou o te wahi o Maniapoto tena koutou nau mai hara mai. Te Arikinui o Tuwharetoa e mihi kau ana. Ki a koutou katoa nga pakeke nau mai hara mai ki te wahi nei. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
It is fitting as I stand before you that I acknowledge you Tuwharetoa from Lake Taupo and those of you as well from Maniapoto. Greetings to you welcome welcome. To you the high chief of Tuwharetoa welcome. And a welcome to this place as well all the elders. Welcome welcome 
.] 
I am very pleased to be standing here today at the final stage for what was until recently the Maori Purposes Bill (No 2). The bill is now four separate amendment bills after being divided in the Committee of the whole House stage which is standard practice for omnibus bills. This Government actively maintains Maori affairs legislation. This is the second Maori purposes bill since 2006 and the Government is committed to continually enhancing the frameworks in which Maori operate. I therefore stand here today in full support of the next suite of initiatives promoted by this Labour Government: the passing of a quartet of bills that will make changes of great significance to Maoridom and indeed to New Zealand as a whole.  
The first of these bills the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill will update the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Act 1988 by changing the name of the Maniapoto kaumatua council and formalising a seventh regional management committee for Kawhia Harbour. The second bill the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill will update the Maori Trust Boards Act 1955 to specify a minimum voting age of 18 years for trust board elections and will validate the voting irregularities that may have occurred in the past. It updates section 10 of the same Act to reflect the new annual payment to be made by the Crown to the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board under a new agreement relating to Lake Taupo. The third bill the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill (No 2) will increase the maximum membership of the Waitangi Tribunal from 16 members to 20 members make technical drafting changes to section 6 of the Treaty of Waitangi Act and create a new schedule of that Act. Finally the fourth bill Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill (No 3) will correct two minor drafting errors in Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993.  
All the amendments promoted by these bills will in some way impact upon the lives of Maori. With the change to the voting age for Maori trust board elections under the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill our rangatahi and future leaders will now start to participate in their tribal affairs at the same time that they participate in the wider democratic system. On the change being made iwi will also be able to get on with the management of their affairs without fear of falling foul of the law.  
The passage of the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill (No 2) reaffirms the Government’s unwavering commitment to settle all historical Treaty claims by 2020. The Government’s first step in realising this goal was the setting of a closing date for submitting historical Treaty claims to the Waitangi Tribunal. This important day in our nation’s history will materialise on 1 September this year. The Waitangi Tribunal will play a key part in the Government’s fulfilling this commitment and in us—both Maori and Pakeha—making this significant progress as a nation. The tribunal has a lot to do and there are still many more stories to hear but it is committed to reporting on all historical Treaty claims by 2015. I promoted this legislation which will increase the tribunal’s membership by four to provide the extra capacity that the tribunal requested. The tribunal needs these extra experts to help it to meet its 2015 goal. I urge iwi and hapu to submit their claims soon so that the tribunal can tell the Crown their story.  
This bill also simplifies section 6 of the Treaty of Waitangi Act so that it contains only its key provisions. No longer will amendments be tacked on to the end of the section every time a Treaty settlement is passed. Instead those references will be placed in a stand-alone schedule of the Act.  
I turn now to acknowledge those members of Ngati Maniapoto who are present in the House today to see the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill reach its final stage. This has been a long process for them. The Maniapoto marae from Kawhia Harbour are passionate about their moana. They formed a collective to unify their efforts and participate in decision making relating to their area. On the enactment of this bill the collective will be recognised as a regional management committee under the Maori Trust Boards Regulations. It will get a seat on the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board and funding to continue its important mahi. The establishment of the regional management committee will not—I repeat will not—redefine tribal boundaries or diminish mana whenua. It will not be representing the interests of other marae in the area or of any iwi other than Ngati Maniapoto. Its purpose is simply to represent the Maniapoto interests of five marae from Kawhia Harbour and facilitate their participation as beneficiaries in the decision making of their trust board. I tautoko all the work of those marae today and I wish them the best for the future. To the Maniapoto kaumatua council I tautoko the important contribution it also made.  
I also acknowledge the members of Ngati Tuwharetoa who are present in the House today and emphasise the significance of what the passage of the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill means for them. Ngati Tuwharetoa has sought clarity around their rights in Lake Taupo for some time now. They own the lake bed; it is their taonga. We all know that Lake Taupo is a hive of activity: fishing boating and tourism. The Crown has derived significant revenue from those activities over the years. The Crown has always recognised Ngati Tuwharetoa’s right to share in those revenues but sometimes the iwi’s portion of the pie has not been ample enough. The Crown has acknowledged that and has agreed to significantly adjust the annual payment it makes to the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board.  
This bill will give effect to that undertaking and ensure that Ngati Tuwharetoa receive a fair share of the revenue as owner of the lake bed. I am excited for them. On 1 July this year they will receive the first instalment. With this certainty Ngati Tuwharetoa can now look to the future plan ahead and most important continue to prosper. I look forward to a time in the near future when all iwi will be in the same position as Ngati Tuwharetoa and will in the post-settlement phase be getting on with business and defining the future and a better pathway for our people as a whole and certainly in doing all of that realising their full potential.  
I recognise the efforts of the Maori Affairs Committee the submitters and the officials and also the support from other parties in this House to take this legislation through. On that note and for the last time I wholeheartedly commend these bills to the House for their third and final readings.