Sharples Pita: Māori Trustee Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSharples Pita: Māori Trustee Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 05 May 2009. Volume:654;Page:2851. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Minister of Māori Affairs):I acknowledge the previous speakers for giving their general support to the Māori Trustee Amendment Bill. A lot of people speaking on this bill today have been major architects in its development and in getting it to this stage and I congratulate them on their efforts particularly the previous Minister of Māori Affairs Parekura Horomia who introduced the bill and sent it off to the Māori Affairs Committee where it went through the select committee process.As everyone knows the bill is one part of a two-part bill—the Māori Trustee and Māori Development Amendment Bill—that was divided by the select committee. This division took away the economic development part of the original bill and left the Māori Trustee part which is what we are considering today. The bill gives the Māori Trustee stand-alone status; at the present time the Māori Trustee is an employee of Te Puni Kōkiri—a staff member.Under the bill the Māori Trustee is appointed to that role by the Minister of Māori Affairs. Appointment by the Minister gives the position the mana that it deserves. Many would see flaws in the Minister’s having the appointment process in his or her hands. However there are some benefits as well. It guarantees that there will be transparency in the appointment and that there will be a selection process by which the Minister will seek the acumen and experience required to carry out the role so that it is not left to chance. In some ways there is support for the idea that the Minister does this. That support came through in the consideration of this bill and that provision is in the bill now. The appointment is an administrative process and—as I said in my second reading speech—I having the role of Minister at the moment have committed to consulting and to ensuring that this process is definitely open.In answer to the question about the removal of the part of the original bill about the economic development of the Māori people and the suggestion that it would be good to see an economic development arm of the bill I say that the opportunity to establish some sort of pūtea or bank to help Māori economic development—say for small-business enterprises—is still a possibility and there are Māori moneys around that could be called upon to support such a venture. However I am also really happy to say that the promotion of Māori economic and business development is currently in action and a lot of that action results from the Māori economic summit conference which we held about the end of last year. It also results from the Prime Minister’s Job Summit which followed the Māori economic summit conference and the proposals that came out of that summit. There is quite a bit of activity in that particular area.I acknowledge an earlier speaker’s comment that a Mr Johnson’s $28000 would have gone down the tubes if the bill had not been changed but I say that that would not have happened because the common fund moneys are not and never were to be touched in that operation. The economic side of the bill which was to be called Māori Business Aotearoa New Zealand was to be funded through the general purpose funds and not the common fund moneys. So Mr Johnson’s money would have been quite safe and used appropriately.I am happy to take the call and to acknowledge the contribution of members especially those who served on the Māori Affairs Committee last year. Kia ora.