SpeechSARAH PALLETT (Labour—Ilam): May I first begin by acknowledging the leaders of Papatipu Rūnanga and Tā Tipene O'Regan. Your presence here is a welcome blessing to us and thank you for being here. I always want to acknowledge my colleague Rino Tirikatene for bringing this bill to the House. Thank you for your work my friend. He uri ahau nō tawhiti ka mihi ahau ki tēnei whenua me ōna uri. Ko Sarah Pallett tēnei e mihi ana ki a koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[My origins are in distant lands but I pay tribute to this land and its descendants. My name is Sarah Pallett and I offer my greetings to you my greetings to you all.]As we've heard the bill that is before us this afternoon is a bill that will empower Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to appoint up to two members to the council after the local elections. This is a local bill that the Canterbury Regional Council colloquially known as ECan has requested that Rino Tirikatene take to Parliament as he has done. And as we've heard local bills enable local authorities to enable legislative change at a local level. It only applies to the Canterbury Regional Council at their request.Now since 2020 Environment Canterbury has had two wonderful Tumu Taiao who have been appointed and assist with council decision-making. They sit at the council table and make valuable contributions. But they do not have voting rights which is: they're sitting at the table but they're not able to eat. And this bill is seeking to address that.There's been substantial support for this bill. In their submission the Selwyn District Council commented and I quote The approach in this bill to mana whenua representation at a regional governance level is a straightforward and effective way to give effect to basic obligations under current resource management legislation and Local Government Act 2002." Obligation—please remember that word.For Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke Rāpaki this bill is of great significance because and again I'm quoting from their submission "It provides certainty that the values and concerns of mana whenua as the Crown's Tiriti partner are given expression in the Crown's decision making and the exercise of functions by the Crown and its agencies." Tiriti partner—again bear that in mind.Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu submitted that "while there is still a journey to be completed to full partnership and improved environmental outcomes the distance that has been travelled since 2010 is significant." "We believe" they said "that it is in no small measure as a result of this governance relationship and reinstating direct Ngāi Tahu representation on council will ensure a continuation of that journey to full partnership."—that word again.Concerns are occasionally raised in this House about New Zealand Bill of Rights Act compliance and comparisons have been made occasionally in other speeches earlier between this bill and examples where other bills are not found to be compliant with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act so I'd just like to emphasise yet again that the Attorney-General's legal advice to this House was and I'm going to sum up: "We have concluded that the bill appears to be consistent with that Act." So no concerns there.The Treaty of Waitangi settlement agreed putting Ngāi Tahu in the Crown in November 1997 and acknowledged the rangatiratanga and mana of Ngāi Tahu over their lands—also acknowledged by Environment Canterbury—and affirmed their special association with the natural environment in a number of areas. And Selwyn District Council drew attention to part of the Crown apology read earlier delivered when the Crown sought to begin the process of healing and to enter a new age of cooperation with Ngāi Tahu.Healing from what some might ask? Let me refer you to the Hon Chris Finlayson John Key's Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations a member of the National Party who said recently in E-Tangata "Once you've read the factual concessions by the Crown read the apologies you begin to realise the wrongs that have been committed. The Crown promised to protect 'the unqualified exercise of … [Māori] chieftainship over their lands villages and … treasures.' But it not only failed to perform that obligation—it went out of its way to breach it." This bill is one step towards remedying that and I commend it to the House."