Ririnui Mita: Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Ririnui Mita: Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4809] 
MITA RIRINUI (Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
: 
 I stand naturally with previous speakers from this side of the House the Minister of Maori Affairs in particular in supporting the passage of the Maori Purposes Bill (No 2). It is interesting to note the amount of Maori legislation that has gone through the House in the last 24 hours. Last night we saw the second stage of the Ngati Ruanui Claims Settlement Bill and I value very highly the contributions that were made by all members of the House. I am sure we unanimously support Ngati Ruanui in the challenges ahead of them. 
I know there is a parliamentary discipline that we do not bag our friends particularly in this House but the fact that the Ngati Ruanui bill and the Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) are being heard in urgency is a strong indication of this Government’s commitment to getting all legislation on the Order Paper through the House. I do not think there are too many members of the House who mind sitting through the process. It should not be seen as a full performance on the part of the Government but as a very strong commitment to its legislative programme. 
It has already been intimated by a number of previous speakers that a particularly sensitive part of the Maori Purposes Bill (No 2) is Part 1 and the amendments that have subsequently been made to the bill to allow the Waitangi Tribunal to proceed with hearings so that claimant groups and communities particularly the Wellington Tenths with Wai 145 Kaipara with Wai 674 and Hauraki with Wai 686 can get on with their business have their hearings concluded at a reasonable pace and not have them held up just because there is no quorum on the tribunal. When we consider it we realise that the tribunal not hearing these cases because there is no quorum is quite ridiculous and the amendments are appropriate. I acknowledge all parties that have spoken previously. I also acknowledge that the National Party member on the Maori Affairs Committee has issues with Part 2 in terms of the Broadcasting Act. She has stated quite clearly that she will not be supporting that part. We live in a democratic society and I accept that that is how things fold out but I am sure that by the end of these speeches she will have considered that issue again and with a bit of luck she may change her position. Who knows miracles do happen in the 21st century! 
In my brief speech I also want to cover Part 3 which relates to the Maori Land Amendment and Maori Land Claims Adjustment Act of 1926 as it affects the people of the central North Island in particular Ngati Tuwharetoa and their charter licences. There have been no adjustments in this area since the legislation was enacted in 1926. I have to say that for the people of Ngati Tuwharetoa this issue has the same effect on them as the peppercorn perpetual leases in for instance Taranaki and on the West Coast of the South Island. They have a resource but are not getting any material or financial gain from it. Therefore that part of the bill is long overdue and certainly will be positively received by Ngati Tuwharetoa. 
I acknowledge too the contributions of the members of the Maori Affairs Committee in particular the chair for keeping things steady as she goes as usual and for allowing all members of the select committee to make a valuable contribution. I particularly acknowledge the submitters who came from a number of parts of the country to speak to us about their views on various aspects of the bill. I heard a previous speaker say that there were objections to parts of the bill in terms of the charter licences. I can recall only one objection and it was not a very well put argument in terms of why there should be no increase in licences. I think overall the vast majority of those who made submissions agreed that adjustments are well overdue. 
I commend the bill to the House and I congratulate the Minister of Maori Affairs on getting it up the Order Paper.