Dyson Ruth; Williams PotoHon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills): Rangatira mā tēnei te mihi i runga i te kaupapa o te rā. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. [Chiefs and others I greet you with regard to today's matter. Greetings greetings greetings to all.]It gives me great pleasure to speak in support of the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Bill. I want to acknowledge the sponsor of this local bill my friend and colleague Rino Tirikatene MP for Te Tai Tonga and I acknowledge him for his work. It has been a longer process than was necessary and we're about to see an outcome that he doesn't deserve to have actually on the vote of his bill. It should have been at least supported to a select committee and in my view supported all the way through. I want to acknowledge our regional council Environment Canterbury (ECan) the staff the elected representatives and the appointed representatives actually because together they have worked incredibly constructively and gone well beyond the requirements for a local bill. They have engaged they have listened they've considered they've gone back to people and they've given us a bill that they should be proud of and I am really proud of the process that they undertook to get to this point. I also want to acknowledge Kāi Tahu. It's our tribal authority; it's our mana whenua. It's unlike most iwi in regional councils because we just have one and that's behind the heart of this thinking. It's different than every other regional council. Brett Hudson was incorrect about having other avenues because having constituency representatives does not guarantee mana whenua representation which is the whole point of this bill. That's what it's seeking and this is the only way it can be delivered. Nick Smith is wrong but he is consistent. He's pretty well always wrong. All wards will have elected representation at the 2019 local body election. At last we have our democracy back. These representatives are in addition to the constituency representation and I thought even the Hon Nick Smith would understand that but clearly he doesn't. So this is in addition to the elected constituency representatives that we will vote for later this year. Last Friday after the national memorial service in Christchurch a group from Christchurch from every rūnaka and from ECan met. So the Te Rōpū Tuia hui was held to discuss this bill and they had a proposal that they would ask Rino Tirikatene to progress it today. There's a wide range of political views around that ECan table. I'm sorry to say but I have a suspicion that some of the representatives are card-carrying members of the National Party. While that might not be true—and I don't want to defame them but that's what they've told me—every single person at that hui every single person agreed to the proposal. They wanted this bill to pass—and it was across-the-board political representation—because they know the difference that Kāi Tahu representation around the table has made in the understanding across the board of staff of councillors and of process of the consideration of issues and of a better outcome. How could anyone in this House not want better understanding a better process and a better outcome—less litigation less tension and a higher quality of outcome on water issues on air-quality issues and on public transport issues which they have yet to get right but the process has been better than it would have otherwise. We have had improved regional council decision-making as a result of that representation. When Nick Smith started this process I would not have thought that would have been the outcome and I am pleased to say it has been. At least something good came out of the nonsense that Nick Smith instigated so many years ago. And we should preserve the one thing that has clearly been good for our region. That is why I support this legislation. I'm very proud of Rino Tirikatene for—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Order! [Interruption] Order! I apologise. Your time has expired. Kia ora.