Paraone Pita: Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill — In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParaone Pita: Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill — In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 11 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5692. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PITA PARAONE (NZ First):Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker ā tēnā koutou aku whanaungapēnei i a au nō Te Tai Tokerau mahara ana au i te wā tuatahi kua tae mai koutou ki waenganui i a mātou wēnā taku karanga ki a koutou aku whanaunga mēnā he tuakana tēina rānei ēngari ko te mea nui he whanaunga ēngari kei te tautoko i ngā kōrero i kōrerohia e aku tuākana aku tuāhine ki te ‘hakatau i a koutou i te rā nei. Kei te tautoko mātou o roto i a Aotearoa Tuatahi i tēnei pire.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker and acknowledgments to you my relations—like me of the North. That is how I regarded you collectively the first time you came amongst us. I referred to you as older or younger siblings—you bet—but also importantly as relatives and I endorse the sentiments expressed by my elder and female colleagues in welcoming you here today. We of New Zealand First support this bill.]I just want to reiterate that we do support this bill and we recognise that this is part of a settlement process. I also want to say that it is the establishment of a committee comprised of iwi and members of the council. It is a committee. It does not provide for separate seats on the council which is a different matter altogether.The Minister for Māori Development did make reference to a former member of this House the Hon Mita Ririnui who introduced—I think it was called—the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Māori Constituency Empowering) Bill which set aside two seats specifically for Māori. New Zealand First has never supported that approach. One of the reasons is that the example that I have just alluded to—at the time there were actually six Māori on that council. From the time that that bill became law that council has had no more than two iwi members on it. What we are saying in New Zealand First is that we are no less than and we are just as good as those of the general public. However I acknowledge the process that has been taken to get to this stage.The bill puts into legislation an organisation a committee that has already been operating for a number of years. I am glad that the Crown negotiator saw fit to adopt that approach. However the main point is that iwi have the opportunity to contribute to that whole process affecting the council.I just want to take up the comments made by the honourable member for Napier Stuart Nash. That is an issue as to whether or not this bill has the durability to overcome any possible amalgamation of the different councils at the moment. I think the proof will be in the pudding if the people of the Hawke’s Bay agree to that amalgamation. However from the comments that I have heard when I visited the Hawke’s Bay people are certainly not in favour of it. However time will tell whether or not that is going to be an issue.I do not have too much to say other than to say that New Zealand First will certainly be supporting this bill because it gives the opportunity for iwi to participate in the process albeit in a recommendatory process. So without further ado I commend the bill to the House.