Third Readings — 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Third Readings — 
[Sitting date: 15 May 2008. Volume:647;Page:16035. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Third Readings 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I move  
That the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill (No 2) and the Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill (No 3)/Maori Land Amendment Bill (No 3) be now read a third time 
.  
E tika ake ano i runga i te tu nei ki te mihi kau ano i a koutou mai i te wahi o Tuwharetoa i te Roto o Taupo-nui-aTia me a koutou o te wahi o Maniapoto tena koutou nau mai hara mai. Te Arikinui o Tuwharetoa e mihi kau ana. Ki a koutou katoa nga pakeke nau mai hara mai ki te wahi nei. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
It is fitting as I stand before you that I acknowledge you Tuwharetoa from Lake Taupo and those of you as well from Maniapoto. Greetings to you welcome welcome. To you the high chief of Tuwharetoa welcome. And a welcome to this place as well all the elders. Welcome welcome 
.] 
I am very pleased to be standing here today at the final stage for what was until recently the Maori Purposes Bill (No 2). The bill is now four separate amendment bills after being divided in the Committee of the whole House stage which is standard practice for omnibus bills. This Government actively maintains Maori affairs legislation. This is the second Maori purposes bill since 2006 and the Government is committed to continually enhancing the frameworks in which Maori operate. I therefore stand here today in full support of the next suite of initiatives promoted by this Labour Government: the passing of a quartet of bills that will make changes of great significance to Maoridom and indeed to New Zealand as a whole.  
The first of these bills the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill will update the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Act 1988 by changing the name of the Maniapoto kaumatua council and formalising a seventh regional management committee for Kawhia Harbour. The second bill the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill will update the Maori Trust Boards Act 1955 to specify a minimum voting age of 18 years for trust board elections and will validate the voting irregularities that may have occurred in the past. It updates section 10 of the same Act to reflect the new annual payment to be made by the Crown to the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board under a new agreement relating to Lake Taupo. The third bill the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill (No 2) will increase the maximum membership of the Waitangi Tribunal from 16 members to 20 members make technical drafting changes to section 6 of the Treaty of Waitangi Act and create a new schedule of that Act. Finally the fourth bill Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill (No 3) will correct two minor drafting errors in Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993.  
All the amendments promoted by these bills will in some way impact upon the lives of Maori. With the change to the voting age for Maori trust board elections under the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill our rangatahi and future leaders will now start to participate in their tribal affairs at the same time that they participate in the wider democratic system. On the change being made iwi will also be able to get on with the management of their affairs without fear of falling foul of the law.  
The passage of the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill (No 2) reaffirms the Government’s unwavering commitment to settle all historical Treaty claims by 2020. The Government’s first step in realising this goal was the setting of a closing date for submitting historical Treaty claims to the Waitangi Tribunal. This important day in our nation’s history will materialise on 1 September this year. The Waitangi Tribunal will play a key part in the Government’s fulfilling this commitment and in us—both Maori and Pakeha—making this significant progress as a nation. The tribunal has a lot to do and there are still many more stories to hear but it is committed to reporting on all historical Treaty claims by 2015. I promoted this legislation which will increase the tribunal’s membership by four to provide the extra capacity that the tribunal requested. The tribunal needs these extra experts to help it to meet its 2015 goal. I urge iwi and hapu to submit their claims soon so that the tribunal can tell the Crown their story.  
This bill also simplifies section 6 of the Treaty of Waitangi Act so that it contains only its key provisions. No longer will amendments be tacked on to the end of the section every time a Treaty settlement is passed. Instead those references will be placed in a stand-alone schedule of the Act.  
I turn now to acknowledge those members of Ngati Maniapoto who are present in the House today to see the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill reach its final stage. This has been a long process for them. The Maniapoto marae from Kawhia Harbour are passionate about their moana. They formed a collective to unify their efforts and participate in decision making relating to their area. On the enactment of this bill the collective will be recognised as a regional management committee under the Maori Trust Boards Regulations. It will get a seat on the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board and funding to continue its important mahi. The establishment of the regional management committee will not—I repeat will not—redefine tribal boundaries or diminish mana whenua. It will not be representing the interests of other marae in the area or of any iwi other than Ngati Maniapoto. Its purpose is simply to represent the Maniapoto interests of five marae from Kawhia Harbour and facilitate their participation as beneficiaries in the decision making of their trust board. I tautoko all the work of those marae today and I wish them the best for the future. To the Maniapoto kaumatua council I tautoko the important contribution it also made.  
I also acknowledge the members of Ngati Tuwharetoa who are present in the House today and emphasise the significance of what the passage of the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill means for them. Ngati Tuwharetoa has sought clarity around their rights in Lake Taupo for some time now. They own the lake bed; it is their taonga. We all know that Lake Taupo is a hive of activity: fishing boating and tourism. The Crown has derived significant revenue from those activities over the years. The Crown has always recognised Ngati Tuwharetoa’s right to share in those revenues but sometimes the iwi’s portion of the pie has not been ample enough. The Crown has acknowledged that and has agreed to significantly adjust the annual payment it makes to the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board.  
This bill will give effect to that undertaking and ensure that Ngati Tuwharetoa receive a fair share of the revenue as owner of the lake bed. I am excited for them. On 1 July this year they will receive the first instalment. With this certainty Ngati Tuwharetoa can now look to the future plan ahead and most important continue to prosper. I look forward to a time in the near future when all iwi will be in the same position as Ngati Tuwharetoa and will in the post-settlement phase be getting on with business and defining the future and a better pathway for our people as a whole and certainly in doing all of that realising their full potential.  
I recognise the efforts of the Maori Affairs Committee the submitters and the officials and also the support from other parties in this House to take this legislation through. On that note and for the last time I wholeheartedly commend these bills to the House for their third and final readings. 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
: 
 A tena koutou nga rangatira e huihui mai nei i tenei Whare i tenei ra. Tena koutou tena tatou katoa. 
[ 
And to you the leaders gathered here in this House today greetings to you and to us all 
.] 
I am pleased to stand and speak on the third readings of the four bills that the Minister has named. I am pleased to do so for the reason that the changes proposed in all the bills are sensible so there is agreement across the House I would imagine for all of them. They stand in stark contrast to another bill before this House which is currently before the Maori Affairs Committee—namely the Waka Umanga (Maori Corporations) Bill for which the committee can find no support whatsoever. So on this particular day in respect of these four bills I am happy to say that the National Party supports them and acknowledges the changes that have been brought forward in them as being sensible and especially regarding the Tuwharetoa iwi and Maniapoto as aiding the business of those tribes and the efficient administration of assets and so on. Yes it is good to stand and be in agreement with these measures and to not find a reason to be ticking the Minister off. As I said it will be a different story when we come to one or two other bills that are coming down the track.  
As has been mentioned several changes are proposed and I will mention only three or four of them. In terms of the changes to the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Act I say that there is a name change which the Minister referred to for the Maniapoto council of elders and that of course is something it requested. The council felt that the name it has been using was inappropriate and it now wishes to be known as Te Kaumatua Kaunihera o Maniapoto. Of course we are very happy in the House to accede to that request if it makes sense to the council. The change appears to make sense for the efficient functioning of the council’s business so of course we support it.  
In terms of another change I want to mention which is the establishment of a new Maniapoto regional management committee I say that there was a line of inquiry that the Maori Affairs Committee requested Te Puni Kokiri to make in terms of an objection to what has been proposed here but that issue has been cleared up. I am also pleased to get the Minister’s confirmation that there is nothing that redefines the tribal boundaries for any Maniapoto interest in the area. This proposal deals with the request of five Kawhia Harbour marae to come together as a separate regional management committee that will represent them on the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board due to their close geographic proximity a shared concern for the Kawhia Harbour region and a desire to influence decisions pertaining to their area. It is a very sensible proposal and yes we are very pleased to transition that change in order to enable those desires to be given effect to.  
I turn to the changes that impact on the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board and I acknowledge that that board represents my own people. I do want to express a commendation to the Government for proposing and effecting the changes here because quite frankly it is nearly a decade now since an agreement with the Crown vested the lake in the tribe way back in the early 1990s and it is I think proper and satisfying for the trust board to see that matters that were left over from that vesting are now taken care of in the current legislation. The settlement that was signed in September 2007 gives effect to changes to the annual payment made by the Crown to the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board and takes care of various revenue-sharing agreements also reached between the Crown and the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board.  
I should state that there is a particular interest for me in this matter; some might say it is a conflict of interest. I am a beneficiary of that trust board but as I am a mature beneficiary I would hope that the board in relation to all the benefits that will flow to it now will look to focus those on the younger members of our tribe because that is what makes sense. But in any event as I said I still take my right to make some comments about this legislation because the fundamental importance of it is that it underpins a positive and robust relationship with the Crown. After all that is what a lot of these engagements these settlements these agreements with the Crown are all about which is where the relationship should have been way back when the Treaty was signed. The Treaty set down a blueprint for both the Crown and Maori going forward. It has had its hiccups. Fortunately in our time we have been given the opportunity to make amends for some of the things that happened then and to put the building blocks in place to put the various iwi of the motu on the right path.  
So this legislation is fundamentally about a relationship. It is a strong relationship. Like all of the iwi in their areas Tuwharetoa plays a major role in the community and its economy. The same goes for Maniapoto and other iwi as well. That role and the prominence of Maori issues as we go forward are real and significant. In my view it is a positive challenge for future Governments to properly manage the expectations and the prominence of iwi Maori as those perspectives reshape New Zealand society. That is the challenge before us as parliamentarians and it is why the kind of legislation we are seeing go through the House this afternoon is so important.  
Lastly I wish to comment on the changes to the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. Yes the Minister is right to take credit for the fact that the Waitangi Tribunal’s membership is to increase. But as I have said in this House many many times before—and this comes from firsthand experience of sitting on that tribunal—unless the resources are available to support the increase in the membership of the tribunal then all that the Minister says is like hot air. There has been very little support for the tribunal in the last 9 years since this Government came into power. It is all very well for the Minister to talk about a 2020 conclusion date but the tribunal has to be resourced properly so that it can complete its part of the process to enable the Crown to negotiate settlements with the various iwi. A proper change needs to be made and if the Government does not resource it then National will when it comes into Government in a few months’ time.  
I commend the Minister for bringing this legislation to the House. He has had a flurry of activity in the last 2 years. I have been sitting on the Maori Affairs Committee as an Opposition member since 1999. We have waited patiently for the Minister to propose something new for Maori people. Finally in his eighth year he is bringing legislation to the House. Some of it is good and some of it is not so good. We will deal with the not so good legislation down the line but this afternoon we are very pleased to support these changes and to acknowledge the iwi who are sitting in the gallery. 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Ko te mea tuatahi e tika ana kia tu tenei ki te tautoko i nga mihi i mihingia ki tena o waku tuakana ki a koutou o Ngati Tuwharetoa me Ngati Maniapoto hoki. Tino koa te hari o te ngakau ki te kite atu i a koutou i roto i te Whare nei ki te hakarongo ki te matakitaki mai i te urunga mai o enei pire kia turengia e pa ana ki a koutou puta noa ki te iwi Maori whanui. Na reira tena koutou.  
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Deputy Speaker. It is fitting in the first instance that I stand and endorse the salutations extended to that one of my elder statesmen and to those of you as well of Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngati Maniapoto. How pleasing it is to see you in this House listening to and witnessing the passing of these bills into law that relate not only to you specifically but also to Maoridom at large. So greetings to you. 
] 
I have just supported the expression of sentiments of welcome to our visitors from Ngati Maniapoto and Tuwharetoa. This afternoon they will witness the passing of the legislation that affects both them and Maori in general. But before I carry on I take this opportunity to say to you personally Mr Deputy Speaker and with due respect that although I acknowledge the decision you have made in terms of your long-term future relationship with this House it has always been a real pleasure to stand in this House when you have presided over its proceedings. I thank you for your dignity and for the control you have exercised in the course of your time in the Chair. 
The bills we are talking about this afternoon had their genesis in the Maori Purposes Bill (No 2). As we know the Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) was an opportunity for the Minister to make minor amendments in regards to various legislation affecting Maori affairs. Amendments to that legislation were suggested to the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Act the Maori Trust Boards Act the Treaty of Waitangi Act and Te Ture Whenua Maori Act. I ought to say that the original bill included some other amendments but it was the view of the Maori Affairs Committee that those amendments required a separate bill outside of this Maori Purposes Bill and they will be dealt with at a later time. 
I want to touch on the bills that are the subject of the debate this afternoon. First I refer to the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill. This bill has the support of the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board. It allows for the renaming of the council of elders from Te Mauri o Maniapoto to Te Kaumatua Kaunihera o Maniapoto. That is a simple amendment that should not attract any dissent from anyone in this House. Why? The reason is that the people requested the change. They wanted it and it is important to them so why not support that request? However the Maori Affairs Committee was approached by some people representing Te Runanganui o Ngati Hikairo who believed that the proposed membership and authority of the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board would impact on the boundary of the iwi. I reassure those submitters that the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill does not do that. Any change to an iwi’s boundary must be the prerogative of the people themselves and not this House. I give that reassurance to those people. 
In addition the bill received support from representatives of the different marae that Te Runanganui o Ngati Hikairo purports to represent. The marae were represented by their chairpersons together with respected elders. They supported the proposal in the bill. It will give those five marae representation in terms of the regional management of Kawhia Harbour. It assures them of that voice. As a result New Zealand First supports the passing of the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Bill. 
I turn to the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill which impacts on the iwi of Tuwharetoa. I am glad that this bill makes the annual payments payable to Tuwharetoa commensurate with present-day costs. It is for too long that agreements particularly long-term agreements between Maori and the Crown have not kept up with the rate of inflation. The bill addresses that issue and I thank the Minister for bringing it to the House. 
The bill also allows for the recognition of young people—that is people from the age of 18—to be able to participate in the democratic process in the selection of their boards. As the Minister quite rightly pointed out the future leadership of Maori lies in the hands of their young people. The leadership of Maoridom is changing. The type of leadership that people of my age group once recognised where there was one titular head is long gone. However there are two tribes in which there is no doubt as to the titular head. But where I come from my subtribe Ngati Hine we have a saying: “Ngati Hine pukepuke rau.”  
Hon Tau Henare 
: Subtribe? 
PITA PARAONE 
: The member is quite right; I should be saying “the iwi of Ngati Hine”. Ngati Hine’s saying roughly translates as: “Upon each hill is a chief”. With so many chiefs one can see the difficulties that we have in the north. This bill gives recognition to the young people and an expectation that they will participate in the democratic process. That will lead some of them to fulfil the leadership roles of their iwi. However during the discussions in the select committee we were a little concerned about those trust boards that had carried out their elections before this Act was passed. We support this bill. 
In terms of the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill (No 2) of course New Zealand First supports it.  
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I cannot hear the speech because Mr Harawira seems to be speaking into a cellphone. I have asked him to stop making such a noise but he seems to not want to do it. Could you do something about it please? He is on the cross benches and as we know there should be no interjections from there. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I accept that Mr Jones. There will be absolute quietness while a member is contributing. It is disrespectful for that not to be so.  
PITA PARAONE 
: Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. As I was saying it is important in order to have the claims made under the Treaty of Waitangi dealt with in a timely fashion that we have the necessary resources for the tribunal. Increasing the membership from 16 to 20 is a step towards that goal but I support the comments expressed by the previous speaker: with the increase in membership must come the other resources that will allow the tribunal to carry out its role. 
Finally in terms of Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill (No 3) quite clearly this is just a cosmetic change in order to amend spelling errors in the original Act and references to the number of trustees who can make decisions by virtue of majority as opposed to what was originally contemplated in the original Act. New Zealand First supports the passing of all these bills. Kia ora.  
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 I too want to in the first instance turn my head to those in the gallery and welcome them here today—amongst a flurry of activity out of the Minister’s office. But let us cut to the chase. The Minister said that this is the second Maori Purposes Bill since 2006 but there was no mention of the fact that he took over the job in 1999 or 2000. There was no mention that he has been in the job some 8-odd years.  
Although we are feeling very proud of ourselves because we have done these things let us not forget that they are only small amendments. They mean a lot to the people out in our community but they should have been done a long time ago and they should not have been put in legislation that is essentially wash-up legislation. Personally I am affronted that the only Maori purposes legislation to hit this floor in the last 3 or 4 years is wash-up legislation. Why was the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill not a separate bill with its own mana? Why was the issue of Tuwharetoa not dealt with in its own bill with its own mana? 
I say—and I echo some of the comments that have been made in the House this evening—the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill is not never has been and never will be about a boundary grab as some out in the Maniapoto territory would have us believe. Purely and simply it is an amendment to recognise the work being carried out there by some pretty capable people. I might add that it brings me to the issue of recognition of iwi. If iwi want to have their own encompassing way of doing their own business then National will not stand in the way of iwi going about their business in their way—instead of the paternalistic and patronising manner that this Government is about to foist upon Maoridom with the Waka Umanga (Maori Corporations) Bill. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: No one wants it. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: But that is another story. I turn my eyes now to the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bill and congratulate the Minister on achieving the unachievable on achieving a huge step forward for Maori—the appointment of four extra people on the tribunal. Done and dusted that will sort out the logjam that is in the tribunal at the moment. If we believe that then we are sadly mistaken. We are sadly mistaken because the tribunal itself cannot function because of its infrastructure and lack of personnel. It is not as the Minister has tried to point out that these Treaty settlements before the tribunal will be done any faster by an increase from 16 members to 20 members. Let us not forget what the legislation actually says. It is not a move from 16 to 20; it is move that allows 4 extra people to be appointed. If the Minister wants to appoint one person he can but the legislation does not tell him that he has to. It will take a bit more than fiddling to get the settlement process back on track by 2015. 
I turn now to the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill. I question why this bill is before the House now and why it was not before the House in 2004 at the passing of the Maori Fisheries Act. When this House passed the Maori Fisheries Act of 2004 it had a chance to tidy up some other legislation but it never did. The issue of Tuwharetoa gives effect to an agreement between that great body of people and the Government. But why do we have this bill now? I can only suggest to the nation that it is to show it that the Minister is busy with the aspirations and business of his people because I have not seen it before. The House has not seen this sort of flurry of activity from the Minister before this term. He has had enough time— 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: Unemployment’s down Tau. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: There he goes. Somebody please tell the Minister that 29000 people lost their jobs last quarter. The people at Oringi have just lost their jobs. I suppose the Minister remembers the song “Here We Go Again”. I remember some of my mates who used to work in Westfield and for Hellaby’s who were singing that tune there too. They were saying “Crikey redundancy.”—just like the people at Oringi. When members of the Government stand up and take credit for the reduction in numbers on the unemployment list they should also take responsibility for the increase in unemployment. They cannot have it both ways. I will congratulate— 
Hon Annette King 
: And neither can you! 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Absolutely! I do not know why the Minister is bringing the Speaker into the debate. Maybe she has not been here too long. Maybe she has been under pressure lately. 
Let us turn to the Maori purposes legislation—where we should be turning. This Government is on its way out. This legislation is the sum total of the Government’s programme for Maori since 2000—and we are already into the fifth month of 2008 just 5 or 6 months from a general election. That is the sum total— 
Christopher Finlayson 
: There’s Waka Umanga. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I am sorry there is the Waka Umanga legislation. What is that? You see they thought they were going to get away with it. They thought they were going to get away with the whole House being nice about these amendments. But the fact of the matter remains that they have not done a good job. It behoves us on this side to keep them honest. If this is all that has come out of the Minister’s office in 9 years—9 years of hard toil 180 grand a year and a BMW— 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: That is a lie. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Well they are on their way out. This is the sum total of the flurry of activity—four pieces of legislation with tiny little amendments that should have been made a long time ago instead of mucking around. When the Minister brought this to our attention we saw that one piece of legislation that is not here is the Maori Trustee and Maori Development Bill which is legislation where he wants to steal $35 million off Maori people. These are the only legislation that we have seen in the last 9 years. For goodness sake! Of course we will support it. We would be stupid not to. 
Hon Annette King 
: You are. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Oh well that is right. We will see who is stupid on the day of the election. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: They called you the “L” word. That is worth a point of order. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: That is right. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That is the third time since question time that that member has called somebody a liar. Other members may like it and for some members it may be water off a duck’s back. But I do not particularly like being called a liar especially from that member. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member is quite right it should not happen. I must say that I did not hear it but if the member was referred to by that word I ask the member to please withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: All I want to say is that we will support this legislation. But I can guarantee that the day after the election when we are in office we will get to work and start running; we will not laze around. 
Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. First of all I acknowledge the Government for allowing me to jump the queue and get back to my students. 
A kei konei etahi o nga iwi koneke na reira Ngati Tuwharetoa Ngati Maniapoto Ngati Hikairo me nga karangarangatanga maha i waenganui i a tatau i tenei rangi tenei au e mihi atu ki a kotou kua hara mai nei ki ro Whare i te ra nei. Tena koutou. 
[ 
Yes there are some tribal figureheads here so to you Ngati Tuwharetoa Ngati Maniapoto Ngati Hikairo and the many callings in our midst today I acknowledge your presence here in the House; greetings 
.]  
I welcome our people here to this Whare. They have come not because they are lawbreakers; they have come as lawmakers. Their physical presence is a sign of their commitment to working with the process to make a difference. I am reminded that 140 years ago a man of Ngai Te Ruruku Ngati Matepu and Ngati Parua stood in this House as the first Maori member of Parliament to speak. My tipuna Tareha te Moananui in his opening address urged the Government to enact wise laws to promote good and for Maori and Pakeha to work together. The various whanau hapu and iwi who stand to be most affected by the undertakings of this legislation that is gathered under the concept of Maori purposes are still urging the Government to enact wise laws to promote good. 
In the case of this Maori purposes legislation we recognise there are many positive enhancements to administrative arrangements included in the series of bills. We do of course support the proposal to confirm a consistent minimum voting age of 18 years as proposed in the Maori Trust Boards Amendment Bill. In the second reading of the bill we raised the facts around the demographics of the Maori population namely that 46 percent of our population is under 19 years of age. In light of this fact and considering the value of consistency with other legislative and statutory provisions around age we are very happy to support the amendment to specify a new minimum voting age of 18 years. 
Another element within the series of four bills is the important developments that have emerged from years—indeed decades—of negotiation between the Crown and the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board. This amendment reflects part of the compensation due to the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board in settlement of the trust board’s property rights in Lake Taupo. It sets in place a process by which the board as the owner of the bed of Lake Taupo is able to license and charge other commercial users including those wanting to erect new jetties or structures. The Maori Party takes this opportunity to congratulate Tuwharetoa and commend them for their endurance in the journey towards self-determination and we do of course look forward to their further success in the future as they come back to the Crown to establish their rights of ownership of not just the space above the water but of the water itself. 
Another major feature of this legislation that we support is the proposal to amend the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 to increase the statutory cap on the membership of the Waitangi Tribunal from 16 to 20. Indeed this is a specific proposal that derives its source from our 2007 Budget recommendation to enhance the role of the Waitangi Tribunal so that it can deal with claims more speedily. The Maori Party has actively advocated for the tribunal to be resourced sufficiently so it can work full time. We appreciate the response that the Government has made to our proposal and welcome the improvements that will arise. It would almost appear that the challenge of my ancestor Tareha te Moananui “to enact wise laws to promote good” is finally being taken up. 
However there is the matter of Mokai Kainga. According to Ngati Hikairo the legislation as it stands includes a proposal that will have a direct impact on their traditional tribal boundaries. Tony Spelman spokesperson for Ngati Hikairo advised the Maori Affairs Committee that the legislation would have the effect of extending Ngati Maniapoto authority into its area without any reference to the mana whenua rights of Ngati Hikairo. There was concern that the groups that Te Puni Kokiri had consulted on this matter were the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board and Mokai Kainga marae. The advice they fed back to the select committee was therefore limited in excluding Te Runanganui o Ngati Hikairo from its report. 
As deputy chair of the Maori Affairs Committee I was always concerned that we had a quality of information available from Te Runanganui o Ngati Hikairo and Ngati Maniapoto in order to assist in our deliberations. We were pleased when Te Runanganui o Ngati Nikairo and Nga Tai o Kawhia came forward with a proposal to address their concerns by means of a simple insertion within the bill. The suggestion was that the bill recognise “that Ngati Hikairo through Te Runanganui o Ngati Hikairo exercises a mana whenua relationship within the Kawhia rohe and that nothing in this bill shall be interpreted as diminishing their mana whenua status in that rohe.” 
We have learnt also that Ngati Hikairo are committed to working with Nga Tai o Kawhia the regional management committee established under this bill to ensure that how it will all work in practice will not diminish their mana whenua. The Minister has assured us that there was no intention to redefine the boundaries of Ngati Hikairo. However a Minister’s intentions and the actual interpretation of the law can be vastly different things and if the law this bill sets in place does not in practice represent a wise law to promote the collective good then it would be appropriate that the amendment suggested by Ngati Hikairo and Nga Tai o Kawhia return to this House. 
The Maori Party is consistently overwhelmed by the willingness of whanau hapu and iwi to demonstrate manaakitanga—to live by time-honoured practices that reflect and respect the status of relationships with each other. We acknowledge Ngati Maniapoto Ngati Hikairo and Nga Tai o Kawhia for their efforts to work with the process to do all they can to ensure their concerns are heard and to work productively for the benefit of the Kawhia rohe and its people. We believe that the issues between Mokai Kainga marae between Ngati Hikairo and Ngati Maniapoto belong with the people themselves. It is their authority their mana that will ultimately sort any unresolved issues through. Kei a koutou te tikanga. 
Finally it would be extremely disappointing if any party chose to object to the request from the Maniapoto council of elders that their name be amended from Te Mauri o Maniapoto to Te Kaumatua Kaunihera o Maniapoto. It is their prerogative and absolute right to determine the name by which they want to be called and Parliament must honour that desire of the people. 
The Maori Party has given this series of bills careful and comprehensive consideration. Although there are limitations around the coverage of the issues put forward by Ngati Hikairo we are satisfied that on balance there is sufficient merit throughout all the other proposals to support these bills at their third reading. In conclusion I repeat to this House: “I te mutunga ake kei nga iwi nei nga tikanga. Kia ora tatou. 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) 
: 
 I think the arrangement is that the Minister of Customs wants the last word so I will have the sentence. But before I pass sentence on this Government for its failings I join with my colleagues in welcoming to the House the representatives of Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngati Maniapoto. I mentioned during the Committee stage that Mrs te Heuheu and I had had a wonderful visit to Te Kuiti—Jim Bolger - land—to meet with representatives of the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board and it was a very good meeting. We also had a wonderful meeting earlier in the year when five or six of us went to Taupo to meet the representatives of Ngati Tuwharetoa. So I say “Welcome to our House.”  
Tonight I intend to be reasonably brief because I know that it is the desire of the House to vote on this legislation before six o’clock so that our visitors do not have to come down again on Tuesday. I will concentrate my comments on the amendments to the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. I join with the comments my learned friend Mrs te Heuheu has made about this legislation and say that obviously we will support it because the changes are important. They are not simply schematic; they deal with a number of important issues.  
The first is the amendment to clause 15 which deals with the composition of the Waitangi Tribunal. Clause 15 states: “Section 4(2)(b) is amended by omitting ‘16’ and substituting ‘20’.” The tribunal is doing a very job at the moment under the inspired leadership of His Honour Chief Judge Joe Williams but there is much more that needs to be done. So increasing the numbers on the tribunal to 20 is a very good move. It is one that we have been advocating for some time. But as Mrs te Heuheu said it is not simply enough to increase the numbers to 20. The tribunal also needs good practical support. Adequate resourcing so that is can undertake its historic task is fundamentally important and that is something the National Party will commit to.  
Clause 16 is a very interesting clause. On the one hand it simply tidies up an extraordinarily complex section. Section 6 of the principal Act deals with the jurisdiction of the tribunal to consider claims and section 6(1) is an amendment that was introduced by the Lange Labour Government in the mid-1980s. It empowered the tribunal to investigate actions of the Crown from any time on or after 6 February 1840. Of course that is not being amended. As clause 16 provides the amendments are to subsections (8) through to (32).  
The idea which has been expressed in some detail in the Committee stage is to provide that instead of having to have constant amendments to section 6 as Treaty settlements are entered into and legislated the sensible thing to do is to schedulise the various settlements. And that is exactly what is going to happen. So schedule 2 of the bill provides a schedule 3 to the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and the various statutes that are referred to there will now be schedulised. We say that from a drafting point of view that is very good. My personal view is that too much legislation is unnecessarily complex and unreadable and this change—minor in the overall scheme of things though it is in legislative terms—is none the less a good tidy up and makes section 6 of the 1975 Act read that much better. 
So into the schedule go a number of subsections from various Acts and I will refer to these briefly. The first is an amendment dealing with the Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Claims Settlement Act 2005. This is a very interesting statute because of the various statutes that I will refer to it deals with a settlement that is truly unique. It was started and completed under the Clark Labour Government. All the others were either started and completed under the National Government of the 1990s or were started by the National Government and finished by the Labour Government. ` 
The next one is the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998. That deals with a settlement—a great settlement—that was started and completed by Jim Bolger and Doug Graham. The Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Act 2005 was started by National and finished by Labour. The Ngati Mutunga Claims Settlement Act 2006 deals with a settlement that was started by National and finished by Labour. The Ngati Ruauni Claims Settlement Act 2003 deals with a settlement that was started by National and finished by Labour. The Ngati Tama Claims Settlement Act 2003 deals with a settlement that was started by National and finished by Labour.  
The Ngati Turangitukua Claims Settlement Act 1999 as the date suggests was started and finished by National. The Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) Claims Settlement Act 2005 deals with a settlement that was started by National and finished by Labour. The Pouakani Claims Settlement Act 2000 was started by National and finished by Labour. The Te Arawa Lakes Settlement Act 2006 was started by National and finished by Labour. The Te Uri o Hau Claims Settlement Act 2002 was started by National and finished by Labour. The Waikato Raupatu Claims Settlement Act 1995 was started and finished by National.  
So in recent times we have had quite a few weasel words from this Government but that is the record. [ 
Interruption 
] The member for Te Tai Tonga should reflect on the record because the statutory record tells the truth and the record of this Government in this area is absolutely disgusting. It is the very apotheosis of failure and Labour members should be hanging their heads in shame because that is the record of this Government. We are the ones who have performed. Contrary to what Colin James said in the  
New Zealand Herald  
about rhetoric and about our commitment to the Treaty settlement process and so on we are the ones who have performed. It is good to have an opportunity— 
Hon Annette King 
: Now you’ve had your skite get back to the bill. 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: Oh the guilty ones are starting to bray now. The guilty ones are starting to bray but the reality of the matter I say for the benefit of the Minister of Transport— 
Hon Annette King 
: And Police and Justice. 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: —Police Justice and State Services.  
I just want to commit to our guests in the gallery and to other iwi who may be listening to this debate that a National Government will right this wrong and by golly gosh we will perform. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Customs) 
: 
 A tuatahi tino mihi rawa atu ki a koutou Ngati Tuwharetoa tae atu ki Te Moana o Taupo-Nui-a-Tia hoki mai ki te nehenehe he nui nga whanaunga. Tenei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa e whakarongo mai nei ki tenei o nga korero i te ra nei. 
[ 
Firstly I really acknowledge you of Ngati Tuwharetoa including the Great Lake of Tia and the forest where there are many relationships. Greetings also to all those listening in to this debate today 
.] 
I firstly thank my colleague Mark Burton who ceded his time to me so that I could make a small contribution. I know that as the local MP for Taupo he would have wanted to acknowledge the importance of what we are doing today in terms of his own electorate. He has worked tirelessly to ensure that the interests of Taupo and certainly those of the Ngati Tuwharetoa people have been met. So I thank my colleague very much. 
In the second instance I want to pick up on previous comments that to some extent were very uncharitable. The fact is that some of this legislation starts to advance issues that are positive for Maori— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Guilty conscience. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA 
: I say to Mr Henare that I think some of his comments were uncharitable. The member knows as well as I do that by increasing the number of members on the Waitangi Tribunal we are providing far greater scope for those outstanding claims to be heard. The member knows the amount of work that occurs within the tribunal. By increasing the number of members we are increasing the depth of the pool of people who can sit and hear these particular claims. I am a bit disappointed that such uncharitable remarks were made. 
Mr Finlayson makes the point that many settlements were started by National and finished by Labour. All those settlements were unequivocally voted for by Labour but the same cannot be said about National. People need to read the written record and to understand that that is the sad situation that we are in. National may have started those settlements but it did not vote for all of them. The point I want to push in terms of the conscience of the National Party is that at this stage about 30 groups have signed up to approvals in principle. The Minister of Maori Affairs and the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Michael Cullen have continued along the path of trying to ensure that the tribes that want to conclude their Treaty settlements are in a position to do so. There are 30 groups in that position and all those claims have been started by Labour. We want to finish them and we as a Government will support them unequivocally. That is really important. 
My contribution today is in the nature of making some brief remarks on the issues surrounding the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Amendment Bill. I am heartened to hear comments being made across the House that this legislation does not intend to determine tribal boundaries. It is important that when people read the legislation alongside the  
Hansard 
 they see that members have unequivocally clarified that Parliament does not intend to rewrite tribal boundaries. Those matters are best left to iwi to determine in their own time at their leisure and hopefully in a spirit of goodwill amongst themselves. It is their business. That is a clear statement made in this House. 
The other point that urged me to say something is a communication I received from Pipi Barton that makes an outlandish claim which must be recorded in the House. She asserted: “We would like to suggest that the lack of interest by Te Puni Kokiri officials to investigate the concerns of Ngati Hikairo is politically motivated. With the change that has occurred through the realignment of electoral boundaries for the Maori seats formerly secure Labour voters within the Ngati Maniapoto rohe are no longer able to vote for Nanaia Mahuta and will be looking for alternatives. Labour is using this opportunity through this proposed legislation to secure themselves brownie points with Ngati Maniapoto voters.” She is wrong she is misinformed and she is out of touch. That is not the intention of this bill at all. The people from Maniapoto have asked for it for a very practical reason. The marae that will be affected by there being an additional regional Maori committee member on the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board are Mokai Kainga Rakaunui Tokopiko Mokoroa and Te Mahoe. What are the practical effects of their interests being represented on the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board? 
There are some very local benefits. They want to consolidate their interests as marae. They want local outcomes to be advocated in the interests of those marae for the benefit of their people whether the issue is the surrounding Kawhia Harbour or the development pressures that are currently occurring in Kawhia itself. They want to consolidate themselves and to advocate as a group. We should not lose sight of that. If we look at what is happening back home on the ground we see that Nga Tai o Kawhia Regional Management Committee has been able to better advocate in terms of what is happening in the harbour. In time we will see it continue to advocate for the better management of what is happening in terms of fisheries and Kawhia Harbour developments. It has been able to empower local people to have a say and to advocate with the local council on development consents being lodged for the area. It is not quite sorted yet but we are seeing a coming together of marae that want to express their concerns about and interests in developments in that area and I support that. 
So I was concerned when I received that communication. Again it is wrong and it is misinformed. I am quite happy to talk to Miss Pipi Barton about that at a future point in time. 
The other thing that I want to ensure is that we highlight the continued opportunities of the confirmed agreement with Tuwharetoa. I think it is a positive step forward. It absolutely confirms the nature of the interest of Tuwharetoa in their lake. It clarifies their ongoing relationship with it—there is no doubt about that. It is a good step forward. That is all from me. 
Ki a koe te Minita tena koe mo to mahi hapai i enei o nga kaupapa kei waenganui i a matou. No reira tena koutou katoa. Kia ora. 
[ 
To you Minister I acknowledge your role in fostering these proposals amongst us. Greetings to you all as well. Thank you 
.]  
Bills read a third time. 
Waiata