4. Question No. 4—Māori Crown Relations: Te ArawhitiRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga) to the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te ArawhitiQuestion No. 4—Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti4. RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga) to the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti: What recent announcements has he made on the scope of his new portfolio?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti): This week I was proud to announce the new scope and name of the Crown/Māori relations portfolio. We changed the name to Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti. The name reflects feedback from the hui that Māori should appear first in the relationship. Te Arawhiti refers to the transition phase we are in—that is the bridge between Māori and the Crown. I'm proud of the work we as a Government have achieved so far but as Sir James Hēnare said Kua tawhiti kē tō haerenga mai kia kore e haere tonu. He nui rawa ō mahi kia kore e mahi tonu."—you have come too far not to go further; you have done too much not to do more.Rino Tirikatene: How did he ensure that a Māori voice was reflected in his final scope and priorities?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Māori wanted the portfolio to have its own agency with its own mana. This week the Government agreed to establish an agency to oversee the Government's work with Māori in a post-settlement era. The agency will be called the Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti and will help facilitate the next step in the Treaty relationship moving beyond the settlement of Treaty grievances into what it means to work together in partnerships.Rino Tirikatene: What does the scope of the new portfolio include?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: In addition to finishing Treaty settlements and marine and coastal area applications the new agency based on the new scope of the Māori/Crown portfolio will provide strategic leadership across the public sector to ensure the Crown meets its Treaty obligations and develop a new engagement model and guidelines for the Government and public sector. It will co-design partnership principles and frameworks to ensure that agencies generate the best solutions for issues affecting Māori. It will ensure public sector capability is strengthened across the board. That's just to name a few of the things we'll be doing.Hon Christopher Finlayson: Is an important role of Te Arawhiti to ensure that the Treaty of Waitangi is a successful partnership between Crown and Māori?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Yes.Hon Christopher Finlayson: Can he confirm that he's fully explained to his Cabinet colleagues all the constitutional implications of some of the new roles of Te Arawhiti?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: In terms of constitutional arrangements that's under the portfolio of the Minister of Justice but we have futureproofed the partnership. The constitutional change is not on our radar but we have futureproofed the relationship in that if there are any discussions by Governments in the future we want Māori to be part of those discussions.Hon Christopher Finlayson: Will Te Arawhiti have any new or additional powers over the public sector; if so what will they be?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Te Arawhiti will be working alongside the public sector to become a better Treaty partner."