Turia Tariana: State-Owned Enterprises (AgriQuality Limited and Asure New Zealand Limited) Bill — First Reading 
Turia Tariana: State-Owned Enterprises (AgriQuality Limited and Asure New Zealand Limited) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:638;Page:8566] 
TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Tenatatou katoa. I am pleased to have a chance to speak about the State-Owned Enterprises (AgriQuality Limited and Asure New Zealand Limited) Bill. I do not know a great deal about it but I have listened carefully to what people have said in the House today. I guess we have an interest in the way in which this nation assesses the quality of animal products and materials and in particular the way in which it invests in the export red meat market given the number of Maori people who are involved in farming. 
This bill is about services and we do support it at this first reading. The Maori Party has taken an interest in the way in which quality outcomes and services can be achieved through two key State enterprises established to do so—AgriQuality Ltd and Asure New Zealand Ltd. Part of our interest concerns how a merger can be planned between two very similar enterprises and it would appear that the process is thoroughly agreeable to all parties despite all the flexing of muscles between these agencies. 
We have on one hand Asure New Zealand bound by its mission: “Whaia ko taikaka Building Consumer Confidence”. Its stated mission is to provide “simple and efficient solutions to complex food safety issues” with key values such as objectivity know-how and integrity. It is already well on the way towards creating a trusted partnership. Importantly it has already established relationships with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry based on the State-owned enterprise model. On the other hand we have AgriQuality Ltd an entity that last week issued a release saying that it was committed to creating value for its ultimate stakeholders the New Zealand public. It then went on to further suggest that in the past 7 years we have witnessed immense changes across the international global supply-chain and regulatory environment and that there is now a strong case to be considered for merging the two companies. Both companies are firmly focused on creating value which will benefit the agricultural and food industries in New Zealand with a particular focus on enhancing their reputations for the good of the New Zealand public. 
There has been a bit of an X factor as far as the Maori Party is concerned. I want to draw to the attention of this House the fact that one of these entities AgriQuality Ltd is chaired by a NgaiTahu person HenareRakihia Tau and that a NgatiPorou and NgatiKahungunu person Tom Mulligan is a director of Asure New Zealand Ltd. Too often in this House we hear about issues of disparities and problems that the Government has identified in another sector that seem to be disproportionately falling upon Maori yet every day throughout this land Maori directors managers leaders and entrepreneurs are helping to shape the society that we are a part of. I am thinking of some of New Zealand’s finest leaders and movers and shakers who are on boards—people like June McCabe a director of Television New Zealand Ltd and New Zealand Venture Investment Fund Ltd; Taari Nicholas a director of Transmission Holdings Ltd; Mavis Mullins a director of Landcorp Farming Ltd; Sir Paul Reeves a director of Mighty River Power Ltd; Dr Mere Roberts a director of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd; Tem Hall deputy chair of the New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd; Professor Ngatata Love a director of New Zealand Post Ltd and Witi Ihimaera-Smiler a director of Learning Media Ltd—and that is to name but a few. The great thing is that this is a sample of much much more to come. We have a wealth of talent out there in governance and in leadership which this bill demonstrates. 
We believe that the bill reflects the desire for cooperation in that it will prevent AgriQuality Ltd from providing export red meat inspection services. It would appear to be good business sense for the business case of AgriQuality Ltd not to be in competition with Asure New Zealand Ltd. At the end of the day the Maori Party would prefer to see State-owned enterprises collaborate and coordinate their activities rather than compete against each other with a cost to the Crown and more important to taxpayers. It would appear really good business sense to maximise the commercial and non-commercial ownership benefits of both entities. If they were private enterprises then I would probably agree with Shane Ardern in regard to competition but they are not. So merging AgriQuality and Asure must mean that there will be more efficiencies. 
In its most recently completed financial year AgriQuality Ltd had a total operating revenue of $79 million had total assets of $54.6 million and had 750 fulltime-equivalent staff. The needs of stakeholders in the dairy meat horticulture and food industries are central to the New Zealand brand. The proposal to merge AgriQuality and Asure will now mean a far more effective surveillance and monitoring of food from the paddock right through to the shop shelf. In the interests of safe and wholesome food for opportunities for our future export markets and for the sense of confidence we have in Maori as successful managers governors and directors we are happy to support this bill at its first reading.