Halbert ShananSHANAN HALBERT (Labour): Thank you Madam Chair. I appreciate very much having the opportunity to ask the Minister questions this afternoon. Last night I did ask a number of questions of the Minister. I don't believe those have been answered. At the same time I'm encouraged by the keenness of members on the other side of the Chamber to stand up with what I hope are questions but which is I think actually an attempt to shut this debate down through closure motions. I would love to see our Māori Affairs Committee members make a contribution to this and ask some questions of the Minister themselves simply because in the establishment of the original legislation here the select committee process did go through the Māori Affairs Committee.I note that this time round it was actually sent to the Justice Committee. And as I understand it there was no attempt by the Minister—and I would appreciate clarification from him on this—to at least bring those committees together in an integrated way to I guess fairly understand the legislation that is before us. The Minister has outlined repeatedly that he's just taking it back to what the original legislation was pre two years ago but I don't think that that's true from what I've seen from this particular committee. So that's my first question. I'd appreciate it if the Minister would articulate to the committee and for the record why he did not consider the Māori Affairs Committee as the appropriate avenue given the original establishment of the legislation that he is taking it back to. That's the first one. Or did he consider an integrated approach to bring the Justice Committee and the Māori Affairs Committee together to consider it given I guess the relevancy to a population group uniquely of its own being our indigenous people—Māori—in this country?Second to that I did ask for the costs to councils of doing this should they be required to do—or they are being required to do—a poll. I don't believe that the Minister did table those costs last night. And I followed up with a question specifically around Tāmaki-makau-rau Auckland Council. In a couple of years the council would be required to consider their future on Māori wards. That would come at a substantial cost given that the current council is on its knees financially. My concern here is that when a decision is made around Māori wards and the cost to do the poll is put in front of a council—which could be anything from $25000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars—through not having the means councillors responsibly would therefore say they didn't want to proceed with the establishment of Māori wards in their area. The Minister hasn't clarified that part.And on that is it his intention to offer up a financial contribution and funding to those councils to support the poll that he is requiring them to do? And again I go back to the fact that if it's a decision for a council to go down this avenue—which I understand through this legislation they must—and it is going to cost them $50000 that they don't have or that could go towards a pool in their local community it's easier to choose the pool and then it's not fair on what actually might be a better representation or the current representation that they currently agree with that they want for their community and in fact that they've seen benefits for. So I would appreciate clarification from the Minister. What are the costs upfront in order for each council to do this particularly in Auckland as an example? Is he offering funding for those councils? What is he requiring of them and how? What is his advice to manage I guess the sheer costs which they don't have in order to do this?