Jackson WillieLOCAL GOVERNMENT (RATING OF WHENUA MĀORI) AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister for Māori Development) on behalf of the Minister of Local Government: I move the local government rating of whenua amendment bill now be read a third time.SPEAKER: All right. That's not quite what the drill sheet that I have says.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Apologies Mr Speaker. I present a legislative statement on the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill.SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I move That the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill be now read a third time.Tuatahi e tika ana ki te poroporoaki ki te wahine toa a Annie Aranui. Nō reira moe mai rā e te māreikura. Piki atu i te ara poutama ki waenganui i ō tīpūna okioki ai. Nō reira e te tuahine ahakoa kua haere koe ka noho tētahi wāhi ōu ki waenganui i a mātou. Nō reira e te tuatahi moe mai moe mai moe mai rā.[Firstly it is only correct that I farewell a strong woman Annie Aranui. Rest in peace oh noble woman. Ascend the stairway to heaven and rest amongst your ancestors. Thus oh lady leave us with the knowledge that a part of you will remain amongst us. So you pioneer rest rest rest in peace.]I pay tribute first of all to a lady who died earlier in the week Annie Aranui a huge supporter of this kaupapa and one of our regional commissioners for the Ministry of Social Development. She has played a part in advancing the kaupapa in terms of Māori in Kahungunu particularly with this type of legislation and supporting young Māori. Also today I speak on behalf of the local body Minister Nanaia Mahuta who has got business but asked me to support and tautoko and I'm happy to do that. I was shocked and surprised to find out that the law relating to rating Māori land is largely unchanged since 1924 apart from the prohibition on selling Māori land for unpaid rates which was passed in 1968. Nothing has changed in almost 100 years so change is long overdue. So I'm proud that as a Government we've been able to remedy the situation and bring the rating law for Māori back into the 21st century.The bill sits in the wider context that this Government is enabling Māori land owners to develop and benefit from their land where they wish to do so. I've been involved myself in the ture whenua and we have deliberately tried to open up access for Māori who have been at times crippled with all the different landowners in terms of Māori land. So the opening up in terms of ture whenua has been an integral part of the work that we are doing as Māori Ministers and in terms of opening up whenua. We've previously legislated to improve the operation of the Māori Land Court and this has certainly helped in terms of our Māori communities. The bill is also very important in terms of local authorities. We are delighted that no local authorities have submitted against the bill. While nationally we've been on a long journey to improve Māori Crown relations local authorities are also walking their journey with iwi and hapū as we come together. This bill removes some of the obstacles so that we can enjoy that journey in terms of Māori and local authorities working together.For too long rates have framed Māori land as a problem for local authorities rather than an opportunity and for too long Māori attitudes to their local authority have been framed by pressures to pay rates on land from which they derive no economic benefit. This has resulted in Māori keeping their distance from local authorities rather than engaging with local authorities to see what can be achieved in partnership with each other.Now this bill removes a loophole which allows Māori land that was arbitrarily reclassified as general land in the late 1960s from being sold by local authority - abandoned land or rating sales. While the number of such sales are small they continue to this day and it's not acceptable in this era for this practice to continue. It also gives authority for chief executives to write off rates that in their opinion—his or her opinion—cannot reasonably be recovered. The Commissioner of Inland Revenue has long had this power in respect of Crown taxes but for some reason no similar power has been available in respect of rates. The lack of this power has led to the level of rates arrears on Māori land being substantially distorted in public reports. An original debt of $1000 becomes $3500 before it is statute barred for collection under the rating Act at which point local authorities then write the debt off.Public reports of the level of rates outstanding on Māori land give quite a false impression of the amount of rates unpaid because the majority of the outstanding amount is penalties not the rates that have been originally assessed. Sensible use of this power by local authority chief executives can do much in terms of improving the relationships between Māori and authorities. We're looking forward to seeing how those relationships pan out because there has been a level of resentment from Māori in this area who have felt prejudiced by the different authorities. But we think that this bill opens up the opportunity for those relationships to become a lot healthier.The bill makes unused Māori land non-rateable. Much Māori land is inaccessible being entirely landlocked as I said earlier with no legal access at all or with access either by sea only or by paper roads that provide no practical access. So it's almost impossible for the owners of these properties to obtain any benefit from local authority services and of course the resentment becomes major within Māori communities. For me I think it's a great thing because we're going to see regional development at a different scale. We're going to see iwi development and it complements this strategy that we're trying to roll through.Hon Simon Bridges: That's optimistic.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I know that's hard for Mr Bridges to contemplate having been exited from his iwi. They are effectively providing conservation estate to the nation; making this land non-rateable is the only fair thing to do. Hon Simon Bridges: They've been telling me what you've been saying.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: The rates rebates scheme was designed in the 1970s Mr Bridges to provide financial assistance to low-income homeowners—you know those homeowners that you forgot about. Given that the Crown Māori relationship at the time it's not surprising that it made no provision for the communal ownership of Māori land and the possibility of multiple homes being built on one block of Māori land. That was the sad part—that there was no recognition of the Māori way of living at the time. This has meant many homeowners on Māori land are not able to access this assistance. However it's not acceptable in this day and age that low-income homeowners on Māori land should be disadvantaged in accessing this entitlement.In 2018 the House recognised the special circumstance of retirement village residents when it passed the Rates Rebate (Retirement Village Residents) Amendment Bill. And it's appropriate that having recognised the special circumstances of retirement village residents this House also recognises the circumstances regarding the plight with regards to homeowners on Māori land.Local authorities and Māori should stand side by side. This has always been our hope as a Māori caucus and as a Labour Party—that we will have authorities standing side by side and this type of legislation adds to the legislation like the Māori wards legislation in bringing a more democratic and a more fair society and councils that will operate for everyone.I can think of no people who have greater interest in the success of local authorities than our people who hold mana whenua over the land and the local authorities in the district. They're the only people that are not able to up sticks and go elsewhere if they don't like what is happening in their community so they're part and parcel as mana whenua of that rohe. So this really gives them this opportunity. The bill implements a number of pragmatic measures to resolve rating issues amongst Māori which I'm sure everyone in the House would resolve—rating issues relating to whenua Māori. But it also tries to clear impediments to the relationship—and this is particularly important—between local authorities and Māori. In the long run that may be its most important contribution to our future. So I'm glad as a Minister as part of a Māori caucus that this sort of kaupapa has come through. I want to thank on behalf of the Minister the Māori caucus and in fact all Ministers our Government those who have contributed to the preparation and passage of this bill. We look forward to local authorities now working with Māori to successfully implement the bill for the benefit not just of Māori but of all our communities—of landowners of councils Kiwis everywhere. It's something that we are so pleased to tautoko and support and I thank you for this opportunity and I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora koutou.SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.