Horomia Parekura: Mauao Historic Reserve Vesting Bill — Second Reading 
Horomia Parekura: Mauao Historic Reserve Vesting Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:646;Page:15804] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I move  
That the Mauao Historic Reserve Vesting Bill be now read a second time 
. This bill is a special one. It recognises the enormous significance of Mauao Mount Maunganui to the iwi of Ngai Te Rangi Ngati Ranginui Ngati Pukenga and also to Waitaha. The bill represents the successful culmination of many years of patient dedication by the kaumatua Te Runanganui o Tauranga Moana and the iwi themselves. The bill will implement the negotiated agreement between the Crown Ngai Te Rangi Ngati Ranginui Ngati Pukenga the trustees of the Mauao Trust and Waitaha. It recognises the mana of Mauao and provides for the transfer of the fee simple estate of the Mauao historic reserve to Tauranga Moana iwi. 
The bill represents what I consider to be a constructive and forward-looking outcome for Tauranga Moana Maori and for the wider community. Under the bill iwi will become the holders of the fee simple estate in Mauao. The Tauranga City Council will continue to be the management body and the Crown will continue to discharge a set of duties and obligations relating to Mauao as if it is still the titleholder. Tauranga Moana iwi will advise on the day-to-day management of the Mauao historic reserve as representatives of the Tauranga City Council’s Mauao steering group. This combination of iwi ownership and joint management will ensure that management practices are both culturally and environmentally appropriate and maintain public safety and access. The bill also sets the platform for a longer-term benefit for the wider community as all New Zealanders will stand to gain an enhanced appreciation of what Mauao means to the tangata whenua. 
I take this opportunity to thank members of the Maori Affairs Committee for their careful consideration of the bill. I would also like to thank those who submitted on the bill for their contribution to this important process. The Maori Affairs Committee heard from a range of submitters and worked through the issues that those submitters raised. The key changes recommended by the committee addressed issues raised by submitters relating to clauses 7 and 8 of the bill. Submitters were concerned about the way in which the legal rights and obligations in relation to the Mauao historic reserve were reflected in these clauses. In particular the bill as introduced noted that Mauao would be treated as if its fee simple estate were still vested in the Crown. 
The question was then raised as to who is the real owner of Mauao under the bill and whether iwi were actually receiving the title to Mauao. To be clear Tauranga Moana iwi will become the legal owner of Mauao. It will receive the fee simple estate in Mauao and be recognised as its registered proprietors. What will not transfer is the burden of responsibility both financial and statutory that comes with the management of a historic reserve. That responsibility will continue to be borne by the Crown. This was the intention behind clauses 7 and 8 and it was central to the negotiated agreement. The committee reworked these clauses after hearing from submitters to make the distinction clearer and to emphasise that it is the iwi that will own the fee simple estate in Mauao. 
I understand that Tauranga Moana iwi have recently reached a memorandum of understanding with the council that reflects the aspirations that iwi have to be more involved in the management of Mauao as a historic reserve in the future. I congratulate iwi and the council on taking this initiative in further strengthening their relationship. Under the bill the existing management arrangements currently provided by the Tauranga City Council will continue for the foreseeable future. I also want to assure the House that the existing management arrangements will continue for the benefit of tangata whenua and the wider community which will continue to enjoy the maunga tupuna of Tauranga Moana iwi. 
The bill raises the profile of Tauranga Moana Maori and in achieving that I salute the kuia and koro and all the whanau for that matter who have supported the progress of the bill. I also congratulate the Mayor of Tauranga and the Tauranga City Council on their foresight in enhancing iwi input into the management of Mauao by raising the status of its Mauao advisory committee to a steering group over the course of negotiations. The council has now signed a memorandum of understanding with the iwi rununga. It is a credit to both parties that they are working together in this way. 
This bill will give greater recognition to the iwi—something long overdue—it will grow the community’s appreciation of the ongoing significance of Mauao to Tauranga Moana and it will further strengthen the ties between our communities under the Treaty. I therefore endorse the recommendations of the Maori Affairs Committee. I wholeheartedly support the second reading of this bill and its quick passage so that the transfer of Mauao into the hands of iwi finally becomes a reality for the Tauranga Moana people. Kia ora tatou.