Little Andrew; Dean JacquiLOCAL GOVERNMENT (RATING OF WHENUA MĀORI) AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health) on behalf of the Minister of Local Government: I present a legislative statement on the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill. I move That the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill be now read a second time.Māori land is taonga tuku iho and it is fundamental to the cultural and economic wellbeing of Māori. The approach to the rating of Māori land has resulted in barriers for landowners to achieve their cultural and economic aspirations. There are also significant inequities in the current ratings system as it applies to Māori land. As the Minister the Hon Nanaia Mahuta said when she introduced the bill to the House this bill implements measures to remove rates as an impediment to the use and development of Māori land by its owners.The legislative changes to the rating of whenua Māori is part of a wider programme to support Māori land owners trustees and whānau to realise their aspirations for Māori. It works in conjunction with other Government initiatives such as Te Ture Whenua Maori (Succession Dispute Resolution and Related Matters) Amendment Act which we passed in the previous Parliament and that will simplify some of the legal process requirements that Māori land owners face—also the investment of $56.1 million in Budget 2019 enabling the establishment of regional on-the-ground advisory services in Te Tai Tokerau Waiariki and Te Tai Rāwhiti; also the creation of a whenua knowledge hub and the Tupu New Zealand website that the Minister launched in February last year; and also new and enhanced services for the Māori Land Court and the modernisation of the Māori Land Court information systems that the Minister worked with the former Minister of Justice on as well; and also the provision of feasibility and investment funds for Māori land owners through the Whenua Māori Fund; and finally $100 million set aside from the Provincial Growth Fund for the development of whenua Māori.I'd like to thank the Māori Affairs Committee for its work on this bill. The committee has made a number of helpful suggestions that will improve the operation of the bill once passed by this House. I also wanted to thank the local authorities for their positive response to this bill. It's notable that local authorities' submissions support the bill and recognise the need to modernise legislation in this matter. Most importantly I want to acknowledge all the submissions on the bill from whānau hapū and iwi throughout New Zealand.Rates are a difficult issue for Māori since the payment of rates has been a factor in the alienation of their whenua. However submissions from Māori acknowledged this bill is a step in the right direction. This bill will eliminate the problem of rates arrears accumulating on land that the owners derive no economic benefit from. The bill will also make non-rateable Māori land that is subject to Ngā Whenua Rāhui kawenata—this is Māori land that is effectively part of the national conservation estate protecting our biodiversity. By reducing the burden of rates arrears the bill will enable owners of Māori land to discuss development opportunities with their council without the fear that they'll first be asked to pay rates arrears. The bill will enable homeowners to choose to be rated individually simplifying rates payment and collection. This will also enable low-income homeowners to access rates rebates where there are multiple homes on one plot and remove institutional discrimination against those homeowners. The bill will stop any further alienation of Māori land that was arbitrarily reclassified as general land in and around 1967 without either the consent or knowledge of the owners. The bill will provide owners of Māori land with a statutory right to seek rates remissions to support development on their land. All of these things bring the ratings situation for Māori land closer to our expectations of what a healthy relationship between the Crown local authorities and Māori should be.It's important to acknowledge that the objectives of this bill are more important now as we consider the economic impacts of COVID-19 on Māori employment and economic opportunities. The aim of this bill is to support the use and development of Māori land according to the wishes of its owners. Enabling owners of Māori land to use and develop their land will support the economic recovery from COVID-19 and will help employment in the regions where Māori land is concentrated such as Te Tai Tokerau Tai Rāwhiti Waiariki and elsewhere in New Zealand. Enabling more homes on Māori land will help address our housing challenges and enable Māori to contribute solutions to these problems.Finally I just want to note for the House that this is the third bill this Government has brought before the House in recent times that address rating powers—the other two being the Urban Development Act 2020 and the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act 2020. I've tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to be considered at the committee stage of the bill's consideration. These proposed amendments are to ensure consistency across all three Acts in their application to Māori land. On that basis I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website. The question is that the motion be agreed to.