Whaitiri MekaHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister of Customs): E te Māngai o te Whare tēnā koe otirā e ngā mema katoa tēnā tātou katoa. I'm pleased to take a call in support of Te Pire Whakatikatika Kāwanatanga ā-Rohe (Rētitanga o te Whenua Māori) or in our reo tuarua the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill. Can I first acknowledge the Minister of Local Government the Hon Nanaia Mahuta for bringing this bill to the House. I guess I want to in my contribution contextualise this bill in the wider suite of Māori land reforms that this Government has put in place under her leadership and the previous Government in terms of the amendment to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act in so far as Māori land owners wanted—i.e. a quicker succession process in the Māori Land Court the establishment of a facilitation service things that Māori land owners wanted; not what the Opposition wanted but what Māori land owners wanted. So that's what this side has done. We've made those amendments to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act.We've also established the $100 million Whenua Māori Fund. This is where we start putting on this side practical resourcing around Māori land owners. I'm responding to some ill-informed comments made from that side of the House in so far as Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill is concerned. We are supporting this bill but it must be seen in the wider context. Members from that side of this House have come and said Here's the answer to Māori woes when it comes to Māori land—Te Ture Whenua." As you can see it is a well-conversed bill that several Parliaments ago I sat and challenged the Government of the House on.I want to correct some statements around the Māori Affairs Committee in not passing this bill. That's not correct. This House stopped that bill because the member the Minister that sat in that seat the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell ran out of time. We put an absolute challenge to him that if we're going to pass something that Māori land owners feared and there is plenty research both in the submissions to the select committee but what people said publicly—so all I want to do because I've got a short call on it is correct the record.Māori know what they want to do with their land. They absolutely know what they want to do with their land and what Minister Nanaia Mahuta's bill is doing is amending the back arrears so Māori land owners can develop. Does that mean that once they develop they won't pay rates? No it doesn't. It doesn't. It means that those that have been alienated or underutilised land have now the opportunity by removing an absolute impediment which is rates.Now I want to turn to the committee's—because I was on the Māori Affairs Committee I want to thank all the councils that came before the Māori Affairs Committee and those that submitted that look forward to the passage of this bill councils that submitted. When you look at the minority view that the Opposition put in this bill there were four reasons that they gave that they weren't supporting it. One: a lack of time. So that was one of their reasons. There was a lack of time in that and I was waiting to hear from the members. One was around—this is the solution to multi-ownership of Māori land; no understanding about the tikanga and whakapapa that we have to whenua. So multi-ownership is not a reason why you actually change the law around Māori land but that's what they gave. They also said this disadvantages councils who are already doing it. Well that's not what councils said when they came before the select committee. So look I just have to respond because there are people that are making some comments. They think that Te Ture Whenua is the way forward for Māoridom. I want to stand in this House and say it's absolutely not. It's the programme or reforms that this side of the Government has honestly put through which are those amendments I have mentioned. It is the $100 million Whenua Māori Fund which will help unlock potential around Māori land. But this bill also enables the building of much-needed whare on Māori land. So it's with all those reasons that I support this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou."