Harawira Hone: Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
Harawira Hone: Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
[Volume:646;Page:15678] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
:  
Tena koe. Tena tatou e te Whare. Hoi no hei timata i taku korero i te po nei me mihi atu ki nga tokorua kua mate atu i te ra nei. Tera ko to tatou matua a Alec Phillips te kaiarahi o te Manu Ariki me to tatou tuahine ano hoki a Mahinarangi Tocker tetahi o nga tino pu waiata o te ao Maori. No reira haere kourua. E nga mate haere hoki atu ki te okioki a tona wa ka tutaki ano tatou i a tatou. 
[ 
Greetings to you and to us the House. So to begin my address this evening I want to acknowledge the two who passed away today. That fatherly figure of ours Alec Phillips leader of Manu Ariki and our sister Mahinarangi Tocker renowned singer of the Maori world. Farewell therefore to you two. Depart the dead return to the resting place. Farewell the dead we will meet again in time. 
] 
I want first of all to pay my respects and say my farewells on behalf of all the Maori members of Parliament to those two people who have passed on today: Alec Phillips from Manu Ariki and Mahinarangi Tocker one of the great singers from the Maori world. Their loss is felt by all of us. 
Me te mihi ano hoki ki te whanau o Tuwharetoa kua tae mai i te po nei kia rongo ki nga korero nei. I welcome the whanau from Tuwharetoa who are here this evening. 
The Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) has a number of points that are easy for us to support. The Maori Party is happy to support the proposal to allow 18-year-olds to vote under the terms of the Maori Trust Boards Act given that 65 percent of those who do not bother to vote in general elections are those aged between 18 and 24. For Maori those figures are even more important because nearly 50 percent of our population is under 19. 
Our experience as a new party tells us that young Maori are interested in politics that they have a good understanding of how voting works and that overwhelmingly they are coming to the Maori Party as New Zealand’s party of hope and genuine change. We also know that in the past they have not bothered voting because they did not think anyone was listening. We know that the emergence of the Maori Party has changed their thinking at a national level and maybe changing the Maori Trust Boards Act to encourage them to participate in tribal affairs will show them how keen we are for them to be part of Maori development at a tribal level as well. 
The Maori Party is also happy to support the proposal to increase the numbers on the Waitangi Tribunal from 16 to 20. We have always supported increased resourcing for the tribunal and we support an increase in the tribunal’s membership if that will make its job easier to do. 
Thirdly the Maori Party is very keen to support the proposal enabling Tuwharetoa to finally repeal the revenue-sharing arrangements with the Crown—and might we add it is not before time. It is 81 years since the Crown passed legislation to give itself ownership over Lake Taupo. It is 16 years since the Crown agreed to return the title to the trust board for the benefit of its beneficiaries and only now has it agreed to allow full revenues to be assumed by Tuwharetoa. 
We congratulate Tuwharetoa on this day. We wish Tuwharetoa well in their dealings over the outstanding issue of ownership of water. We send a clear warning to the Crown that if indeed it is proper—and it is proper—that Tuwharetoa be granted title to their lakes then so too will we continue the fight to have title to the foreshore and seabed eventually returned to Maori. 
However the part of the bill dealing with the proposed changes to the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board Act to enable Kawhia marae to have representation on the trust board is not so clear. It seems that a difference of opinion has arisen between sections within the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board and Te Runanganui o Ngati Hikairo in respect of tribal boundaries marae affiliation and even iwi representation. 
The Maori Party recognises the right of all marae to declare their links to more than one iwi and to honour the whakapapa they may share with more than one tupuna. But we recognise also that a dispute of this nature needs to be resolved before legislation can comfortably progress through this House. Given the outstanding differences involved we would normally ask that the Minister take a call to advise how any likely differences might be resolved but we are happy to hear that the various parties have themselves agreed to meet to work out how best to deal with this matter. On that basis the Maori Party is happy to support this bill at its second reading. Kia ora tatou.