Mahuta NanaiaThird ReadingHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for Māori Development): I move That Te Ture Whenua Maori (Succession Dispute Resolution and Related Matters) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. It's with pride that I stand here today with this important piece of legislation. Māori land law is really difficult and anyone who tries to change Te Ture Whenua will experience a challenging time. But we want to improve the wellbeing and prosperity for Māori to create a thriving Aotearoa. As Minister for Māori Development it was important to ensure that we had the conversation around these particular amendments with those whānau who are most impacted. That's why the amendments that we're proposing are of a technical nature and very specific to help some of the practical hurdles that whānau are facing in relation to their whenua.In April 2019 Cabinet agreed that there were opportunities to assist and improve the system for Māori freehold land owners and in doing so additional economic returns could be achieved delivering social and cultural benefits to Māori and their whānau. Māori freehold land owners are presented with unique challenges to developing their land including complex rules and regulations multiple ownership in land blocks and alienation of Māori from their whenua with large numbers not succeeding to their land interests. We listened to landowners we heard and we responded and initiated work on the whenua Māori work programme. The Whenua Māori Programme is an ambitious new approach to overcome the barriers faced by landowners to accelerate intergenerational wealth and wellbeing. It includes a number of key investments made to date including on-the-ground whenua advisory services providing facilitation brokerage and education to Māori freehold land owners in three focused regions and providing landowners with easier access to up-to-date information and resources supporting their decisions about how to use and develop their whenua; also modernisation of the Māori Land Court system. The various integrated initiatives in the Whenua Māori Programme will ensure landowners can move more easily connect to their whakapapa and whenua govern their land plan for succession to it and take up sustainable development opportunities. Te Ture Whenua Maori Act is the primary legislation for whenua Māori which provides the framework for Māori land tenure supporting whānau to retain develop and utilise their whenua. Targeted changes contained in this bill will ensure that the laws governing Māori land will work better for whānau by making practical and technical changes to reduce the complexity compliance requirements and costs that whānau and Māori land owners encounter when they engage with the Māori Land Court about their whenua. This bill also confirms new and enhanced Māori Land Court services. The provisions of the bill will make it easier for Māori to succeed to land that they have an interest in introducing a new process for simple and uncontested applications to be determined by the Māori Land Court Registrar which will reduce time and costs associated with attending court and will encourage landowners to take up their interests and reconnect with their whenua. We hope that the simplification of this process will absolutely make it easier for whānau to succeed.The bill will also provide a new free mediation service to speed up dispute resolution for whānau in accordance with their own tikanga and in a way that helps protect whānau relationships for the long term. In fact what we've learnt over the period of time that we've engaged with whānau is that you try and rectify these issues causing as least harm as possible.The bill will also enable the Māori Land Court judges to convene a judicial settlement conference to support and quicken the resolution of disputes mandated in law. It will enable descendants who whakapapa to land to connect to their whenua immediately and have a say in its management. It will also improve housing opportunities for whānau. It allows for occupation orders to be granted to beneficiaries of a whānau trust and removes obstacles to the development of papakāinga housing on Māori reservations. This all sounds so simple but actually there are real impediments in the current law that restrict for example harmonising the occupation order which currently stands at 14 years with what the banks require in order to provide a mortgage. It also enables a lease or occupation licence to be granted for longer terms as I've mentioned which will help whānau to access the lending they need to realise their housing aspirations.Further barriers have been raised by whānau and we couldn't address everything within the context of the Ture Whenua bill. Some of the work is under way. I introduced separate legislation to address issues with the rating of Māori land and targeted amendments to the public works legislation which will be introduced as soon as practicable.The Māori Affairs Committee has worked really hard on this bill. It's been a contentious area of law for Māori for many many years. But I want to commend them in their diligence and also in raising issues that have urged myself and advisers to really think about the practical impacts of the changes that we're proposing. Can I say briefly in response to matters that Jo Hayes raised in the second reading of the bill there are complex issues in relation to the way in which whāngai interact with whenua that they may be involved in. Can I say that I'm confident that the tikanga process which we have included within the context of this bill will enable whāngai to better engage with the whānau that they have been raised with and where they have a connection to the whenua those matters will be observed. Can I also thank the Te Puni Kōkiri officials who provided good advice and the chair Rino Tirikatene of the Māori Affairs Committee who has always acted fairly in ensuring members across the whole committee have been able to engage with the discussion around the changes that we're proposing today.