Tirikatene Rino: Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTirikatene Rino: Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19734. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga):Tēnā koe Mr Chair. Thank you for allowing me to make a contribution. I would like to just echo the remarks from my colleagues on this side of the Chamber. We do support the Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. This is a very welcome piece of legislation long in the formative stages.We know that the Māori Party was very actively involved in support of the ministerial inquiry that actually led to the introduction of this legislation. I recall that my predecessor Rahui Katene received a petition on the steps of Parliament signed by 12000 members of and organised by the Service and Food Workers Union back in 2011. She received that petition and presented it to Parliament petitioning Parliament that there be a ministerial inquiry into the atrocious practices on our foreign charter vessels. That led to the ministerial inquiry. The Māori Party gave submissions to that ministerial inquiry. I would just like to read one part from Mrs Katene’s submission: “I consider it is fundamental that FCVs uphold the highest standards of human rights for their crew and I also believe that iwi and Māori expect that crew members are treated consistently with their values of manaakitanga kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga.”We definitely hope that that was not just rhetoric and that the Māori Party does actually front up and join with all of us other parties in the House to grant the leave so that this bill can progress through its third reading as we enter into the last sitting day of this 50th Parliament tomorrow. We are hopeful that the Māori Party can see some sense and pay tribute to Mrs Katene’s work in calling for this ministerial inquiry which led to the introduction of this legislation. Otherwise it is shameful that not all parties in this House are supportive of this legislation.Let us not forget that we want to eliminate the practices of treating workers like slaves on our foreign charter vessels. There are atrocious stories and cases which came through in the ministerial inquiry. We can mention names like the Oyang 70 terrible fatalities poor treatment non-payment and lack of safety provided to the foreign workers who were working in some horrendous conditions. I am hopeful that the Māori Party can come and join with the rest of the parties in this House and allow us to let this bill progress to its third reading tomorrow so we can complete it and pass it into law.We know that Māori are significant stakeholders in the fishing industry. I for one was intimately involved in the Māori fisheries industry. Māori are the resource owners primarily at an iwi level and of course for certain iwi their main revenue stream is through the sale of their deep-water annual catch entitlement. A lot of that annual catch entitlement has been sold to foreign charter vessel operators in the past and they have been able to pay a premium for their annual catch entitlement to the iwi because they have appalling treatment for their workers in their operations. So that is the trade-off. If iwi want good returns for the sale of their annual catch entitlement at what cost? What we have seen is that that has been at the cost of foreign workers who have been exploited for years when fishing much of it for the Māori annual catch entitlement and we cannot just let that continue.Our international reputation is at stake and the Māori Party made it very clear at the ministerial inquiry how important our international reputation is. Well if our international reputation is so important to the Māori Party; if the fair treatment of foreign workers is so important to the Māori Party; and if the opportunities for jobs for Māori to get into the business and activity of fishing as promised through the Treaty settlements is so important to the Māori Party then I would encourage them—implore them—to please come to the House and join with all of the parties here tonight to ensure that leave is granted so we can ensure the passage of this important bill through into the final day of this 50th Parliament. That is my last plea. Let us hope we can achieve that so we can ensure that this bill is passed. Thank you.The question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Nathan Guy to the proposed amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 429 in his name to clause 12 be agreed to:Delete clause 12.Amendment to the amendment agreed to.The question was put that the amendments as amended set out on Supplementary Order Paper 429 in the name of the Hon Nathan Guy be agreed to.Amendments as amended agreed to.The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 433 in the name of Steffan Browning be agreed to.