Whaitiri MekaHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): E Te Māngai o Te Whare tēnā koe otirā ngā mema o Te Whare nei tēnā tātou katoa.[Greetings Madam Assistant Speaker and indeed to all the members of this House greetings to us all.]Madam Assistant Speaker happy New Year and happy New Year to you all colleagues in the House tonight. I'm very pleased to take a call on the third and final reading of the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill. Can I say how proud I am to belong to a coalition Government that has a commitment to reducing to a net zero emissions economy. I see this particular bill very much as part of our commitment as a nation to be leaders; to not just govern. We heard that from the Prime Minister yesterday: we can govern or we can lead.I want to acknowledge the Hon Dr Megan Woods for bringing this bill in such a quick manner. I want to challenge the former speaker the honourable member from Tukituki around this being part of the just transition of this Government because it very much is. Absolutely it is around clarifying the statutory provisions within the Crown Minerals Act to give clarity to ensure that it's fit for purpose and it's actually up to date.Previous speakers including the Minister have traversed the technicalities in the bill. I too want to acknowledge there are some changes in there that give rise to the Minister having oversight when permits may be changed between firms. But I too want to acknowledge the collegial way in which the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee both examined this bill but also the change that they made to ensure that there is clarification in terms of the timing of when these provisions kick in and when they are going through the process of applying for permits themselves. So I want to acknowledge the work that the select committee did in bringing that change to the House during the committee stage.The Minister did say in the third and final reading that this bill should be seen as a wider look at the Crown Minerals Act that she will be proposing later to ensure that it's future-proofed going forward—and particularly her acknowledgment of engagement with iwi which then reminds me of a story I just want to share with the House.Prior to coming into Parliament being the CEO of a large iwi group from the East Coast of the North Island where we actually were asked to meet with a large oil company who came in to Hawke's Bay of course our natural tikanga is to take these high-flying officials for kai. It was actually Statoil; 12 very senior executives flew in from Canada. We took them to a fine Hawke's Bay restaurant called Vidal. We shouted them and showered them with the beautiful produce of Hawke's Bay not to mention the wine and then we proceeded to have a discussion around their intention to come and explore for oil in the Hawke's Bay area. Of course while they were enjoying their fresh lunch and fine wine we talked about the impact of things going wrong in this industry and the impact it would have in the region of Hawke's Bay given the value of both our horticulture and our wine. What we were doing with this particular oil company was to ensure that yes this Government wants to move this country to a net zero emissions economy but it's also about protecting what we already have.We heard comments from that side of the House around Taranaki for example and the impact that Taranaki has on the local economy in Taranaki but I was once in a meeting with the former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright who actually said that the two coastal areas weren't of the same geographical make up. And so it is really critical that when we are giving permits in a particular area we actually do know the lay of the land and so I am pleased that the Minister of Energy and Resources has the oversight in this bill to ensure not only that those that are receiving the permits but the environmental considerations are part of that decision-making process. That's what I believe this bill will enable the Minister to do.So it is important that we have a futureproofed piece of legislation that governs our Crown minerals. I am excited that the Minister is going to look at a wider review of this particular Act and the role that iwi play in it. There are certain iwi that have got Treaty claims around their own minerals within their own catchment and hopefully that will be I guess explored when the Minister looks further at this Act. But it is a simple piece of legislation that we are debating and passing in this House and like former speakers the way in which the select committee but also the pace in which the Minister has brought it here absolutely shows how committed this side of the House is to moving us into an economy that is more sustainable—regionally economically socially environmentally—for this nation. It is a piece of legislation I'm very proud to support and I commend it to the House.Bill read a third time.