Whaitiri MekaHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): Can I first acknowledge Te Paati Māori for allowing me to take their call. Can I just say this is hardly a bread and butter issue—this is hardly a bread and butter issue—but here we are under urgency discussing the Energy Resources Levy Amendment Bill. I want to agree with the Hon Judith Collins who said that we should have had time to consider this bill to give it full scrutiny. I want to join and add my concern that we are not going to have this bill properly scrutinised.It really hurts me that for some of the members across the way that purport to represent the mighty Taranaki—they would know that the iwi of Taranaki have a concerted effort and interest in Crown minerals including petroleum and including this legislation. I want to hear from that side of the House where the rights and interests of iwi are in this and I want to say that the regulatory impact statement that I read said that the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) did not consider that there was an issue. But who is MBIE? Do they represent a Tiriti partner?I want to turn the House's attention to Wai 796 which does lay down iwis' rights and interests to Crown minerals. In the Tribunal hearings they have acknowledged that those regions that derive benefit in terms of energy have a case to be heard around the returns of that energy. So I want to put to the House to the Government of the day like Taranaki iwi have said that if we are using our whenua and our moana to extract Crown minerals and in this case energy then they should go back to the region. They should go back to the region. But we didn't hear that in the passing of the Energy Resources Levy Amendment Bill. I think they should consider that because that is what the rights and interests of our Treaty partner have asked for. And yet I have not heard anything from that side of the House that knows particularly our Taranaki-based MPs the significance of this bill to their mana whenua statement and also the importance of their whakapapa to their region of Taranaki. So I do hope those MPs that purport to represent Taranaki stand in this House and explain to the iwi of Taranaki where their rights and interests lie within this levy.If you look at the explanation of this bill it does talk about inconsistent approaches over time to achieving a fair financial return. That's the purpose of this bill. Why didn't they consider the rights and interests of iwi when they thought the inconsistent approach didn't include the Tiriti partner? That the question I want to put to the other side of the House. They talk about a balance between 5 percent to 10 percent royalty and going up to 12.5 to 20 percent royalty but I didn't actually hear from the Minister's first speech about where they're going to land. But again this is what happens when you're considering considerable legislation in urgency: the public of New Zealand and particularly in this case the iwi of Taranaki do not have the opportunity to put down their concerns and therefore we have better legislation that we in this House pass.But that is not to be in this House because the Government feels that this is really critically important. My challenge is: as all Governments have the right and the numbers to pass legislation when are the rights of the Tiriti partners going to be considered in their rushing of bills? This is the opportunity for the Government to show a bit of mettle in this space but clearly they fail. They absolutely fail. So it will be no surprise to anyone in this House that I and Te Paati Māori are opposing this bill for the very reason that they haven't allowed the Tiriti partner the right to have their say through a full select committee. That is why we will be opposing this bill.