Harawira Hone: Meat Board Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Harawira Hone: Meat Board Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:633;Page:4662] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Speaker.Tenatatou katoa I te Whare. Last night I was told off because it was reckoned that my korero contained matters that were not particularly relevant to the bill I was addressing. So as I rise to speak to the Meat Board Amendment Bill I am mindful of ensuring that all of my korero tonight is relevant. 
Hon Member 
: Kia ora kia ora. 
HONE HARAWIRA 
: Kia ora tatou. This bill states that the Meat Board can grant access to quota markets for all meat exporters whether or not they currently export meat products. I wonder whether it is relevant to bring up some of my own vivid memories of the rank smells and the freshness of blood and offal on the gut floor of the Moerewa freezing works—my memories of being on the chain and of the slashing knives the hoses the flash white gumboots and the endless humour amongst those at the works back in their heyday in the 1970s. Yes it is a personal memory and yes it was a long long time ago but still I have no doubt that it is a memory I share with thousands of other meatworkers and the 32000 sheep meat and dairy producers all over the country. 
 I ask whether it is relevant that these meatworkers—many of whom were Maori in my day and probably still are today—should have a view on this bill or for that matter whether the Meat Industry Association AgResearch or even the Federation of Maori Authorities should have a view. The Maori Party certainly thinks so yet despite the fact that about 30 percent of all meatworkers are Maori there were no submissions from anyone specifically representing Maori interests in the meat industry. 
We also know that despite our having a booming agricultural industry which is forecast to reach $21 billion by 2010 there are very very few Maori training in the field. It is for those reasons then that we believe it is timely to consider how Maori may be affected by opening up access to quota markets and timely also to consider training and recruitment strategies to create a pathway into the industry for tangata whenua. We ask how this bill might advance Maori interests for the benefit of the whole nation. And we ask how Maori might be encouraged to participate in this $20 billion industry at all levels rather than just on the chain—not that we are sneezing at the chain gang which is an association that goes back many years for Maori. In fact in a 1962 edition of  
Te AoHou 
 Steve Watene described the Maori workers at Gear Meat Processing in Petone where my colleague Mr Te Ururoa Flavell used to work back in those days as having a natural aptitude for the work and being exceptionally good workers. That must have been before MrFlavell got there. He went on to say that the workers in those days managed well because they were particularly good at using their hands and enjoyed the work. This capacity to enjoy the work especially when they are in groups a capacity that in general is probably more typical of Maori than Pakeha made all the difference. Though they got on well with their Pakeha mates they preferred on the whole to work in all-Maori groups. They were very good at the heavy work like butchering and dressing.  
Maori have been there in the meat industry in big numbers ever since. So the place of Maori in the industry is very relevant to any amendments being proposed to the Meat Board Act 2004. In fact the survival and economic stability of many many Maori families has long been linked to the up and down fortunes of the freezing works. Indeed the huge social disruption to the small Taranaki town of Patea when its freezing works were closed down in 1982 has become immortalised in the lyrics of “Poi E”. The break-up of their close-knit community and their attempts to deal with that symbolise the confusion and struggle many Maori families went through as they were forced to go to the cities to look for work. The lyrics by NgoiPewhairangi and the music by Dalvanius Prime describe the poi like a fantail that flies through the forest as a metaphor for Maori youth trying to find their way in the concrete jungle of the Pakeha and still searching for their identity. 
So as we turn to this bill we have a number of questions to ask. What provision is there for Maori meatworkers to make the transition to becoming producers? What plans are there to ensure that Maori can participate in positive economic outcomes through this access to quota? Whose views are being taken into account? What particular groups of New Zealanders stand to benefit from the measures being introduced? And how might Maori benefit from improved business certainty in the primary sector? We ask these questions because we know that some workers like those at the Southmore meat processing plant in Christchurch are getting only a measly $13 something an hour. 
We also want to express our ongoing concern for genuine progress in our nation because as with any other bill we need to weigh up the costs and measure the benefits against the deficits. Under the terms of a genuine progress index although we recognise that primary beef and sheep production are key features of our wealth yesterday today and tomorrow we also know that that wealth is dependent on exploitation of our natural capital—our soil our water and our air. I mention that in light of a workshop held a couple of weeks ago in Tai Tokerau to discuss sustainable rural development. Dr Morgan Williams Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment spoke on environmental sustainability and noted that on fewer than 40 percent of farms in the north farm and dairy effluent discharge complied with environmental standards. The meeting also highlighted the need for iwi to ensure that Maori concepts of kaitiakitanga were fully considered as an integral part of the rural sustainability agenda.  
These are all highly relevant issues that must be accounted for when considering the benefits associated with opening up access to markets. At the first reading of the bill the Minister trumpeted the fact that the social and economic well-being of Aotearoa depends upon the success of growth in agriculture forestry and the related primary sector industries. We remind the House though that any likely financial returns from quota allocation must also be considered in light of the possible adverse impact on the quality of our environment.  
The matters we have raised today may not be matters that the Primary Production Committee bothered to consider but they are matters that must be considered by all players in the industry—farmers meat-processing plants meatworkers employer groups and unions; indeed all the key players in the market. It reminds me of the whakatauaki: “Kia mau ki te kura whero kei mau koe ki te kura tawhiwhi kei waiho koe hei whakamomonamo te whenua tangata—hold fast to the valued treasure not the illusory one lest you be left as fertiliser for the human land.” It is a little like “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” but a bit stronger. It inspires us to value tangata whenua’s good workers who are ready to avail themselves of the opportunities anticipated by this bill. It also reminds us to cherish the land and the environment—indeed the whole world around us—so that in caring for our world we know it will care for us. If we can open up access to quota markets while maintaining our commitment to kaitiakitanga and to sustainable development then we will all benefit from the economic and social gain that comes with genuine progress for everyone in Aotearoa. Tena koutou. Kia ora tatou katoa.