Fox Marama: Māori Purposes Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFox Marama: Māori Purposes Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 15 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6629. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party): There is such a lack of faith in our people to be able to govern themselves—is that not what we are fighting for? Is that not why we come to this place? And in fact is that not why Wīremu Pere came to this place? You know Wīremu Pere from Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and Rongowhakaata was described as being a mediator as a person who was called upon to share his knowledge to settle disputes. He was schooled—yes in an Anglican mission—but he was also schooled in the whare wānanga. He was schooled in the traditions of his ancestors and he was called on to settle disputes not just between his own people but between Māori and Pākehā as well. You know he used his position to criticise the Government he used his position to oppose land sales and he used his position to set up a trust—a trust that started with 18000 sheep. We have heard already that this is a very successful trust—a trust that has considerable assets and a trust that has managed to exert its rangatiratanga over its land for a long period of time.So why are we questioning its ability to continue to do that and why are we questioning its desire to make these changes? These changes have been put through because it has asked for them—91 percent of the beneficiaries who are mentioned here have agreed to this. The Minister would not be doing something in complete opposition to the will of the people. The people have asked for this to happen and therefore the Māori Purposes Bill has been prepared. We can debate back and forward the intricacies of it but essentially we are doing this to support their aspirations their tino rangatiratanga and their desire to advance their asset holdings and to do more with the land that they still have—and they have that land because Wīremu Pere was visionary.Wīremu Pere did put aside that land and while he was a parliamentarian he actually wanted to ensure that there was money given from the Parliament to help Māori people develop their lands and their holdings and their assets and to become strong entrepreneurs. He put bills forward. He supported Hone Heke’s bill to boycott the Native Land Court—it had too much power. He was bold and he was courageous and he did this on behalf of his people and now they are the beneficiaries of his vision. Now after all these years—more than 100 years of having run their assets as a trust—they have asked for this to happen. They have learnt over that time; they are capable people.I find it a little bit disrespectful that actually we are questioning their ability to do this by saying that it takes only one rogue trustee—one rogue trustee. Well these people have been operating well for a good long time and have proven their worth in developing the assets to a considerable base as we have already talked about. There are some things in the bill that make people nervous because we do as they have said want to continue to keep the land in perpetuity—for all time—for the beneficiaries of not just these ones now but for their descendants just as Wīremu Pere wanted to do when he first established this trust.I think the bill has been considered with the people. The changes have been put forward by them. The Minister has upheld their right to do so and has brought that bill to the House. I stand to support that bill. I do not have to keep going on about the things that are in here; everybody has talked about it. The Minister has completely articulated the changes that the Government wants to make and yes we can debate the intricacies of it at the select committee. But essentially we stand not just to support this bill but to support the people and their ability to be self-determining about the way in which they want to operate their lands and their holdings and so I commend this bill to the House.