Flavell Te Ururoa: Carter Observatory Act Repeal Bill — Second Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Carter Observatory Act Repeal Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:663;Page:11260] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena ano tatau katoa e te Whare. Ehara i te mea he roa rawa taku korero engari hai whaiwhai haere i te korero a wetahi. Kai te tautoko ake te Pati Maori i tenei pire i tona panuitanga tuarua. Ko nga korero e pa ana ki te arorangi he korero me ki kua tuhia i roto i nga hitori i nga korero o-nehe me ki o te iwi Maori o te tangata whenua o tenei whenua. No reira koinei te tikanga o ta matau whakaae atu ki tenei o nga pire i te mea ara no ona painga. Ko te mea pai ki a au otira ki te Pati Maori ko tetahi whakatau i puta i te poari o te Carter Observatory i nga tau kua puta. E ai ki ta ratau anei ta ratau i roto i tetahi o nga whakatau: 
“ 
The Observatory shall have regard to the Treaty of Waitangi and the interests and needs of Maori people in all its business and in the allocation of resources to Distance Education 
.”  
Kei te tino rata atu matau ki tera momo korero i te mea kua ata whakaarohia e taua poari te tikanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi o roto i ona nekeneke.  
I te noho ahua rangirua awangawanga matou i te tuatahi i te whakakorenga o te poari o te Carter Observatory ka mutu ki te whakawhitinga o nga rawa ki roto i te kaunihera o te taone nei o Poneke engari he pai tonu i te mea kua puta te korero. Ko te tikanga o ta matau awangawanga ko te ngakuanui o te poari ki nga hiahia ki nga oati o te ao Maori ka mutu ki tana aronga ki te Tiriti o Waitangi. Hoi ano e ai ki nga korero ehara i te mea ka noho te poari nei te Carter Observatory hei mea tirohanga mo te motu engari i tana katinga me ki kua whakatahangia he taha ki te Karauna. Ka mutu ka taka nga ahuatanga katoa te kaitiaki ranei o tenei o nga kaupapa ki roto i nga ringaringa o te kaunihera ki te tiaki pai i tenei o nga wahi te ahua nei kua pera rawa mai i Tihema i te tau 2007.  
E ai ki ta te Minita ki te Pati Maori te Minita mo Take Putaiao te Manatu Putaiao kua noho tahi me ki te kaunihera me te poari te kaunihera o Poneke taku e korero nei me te poari ki te whakatau kia tika ra no te whakatikatika ranei te whakapaipai ranei i te wahi nei. Ka mutu e ai ki ta te Minita kua kaha nei te poari nei me te kaunihera ki te whakapa mai ki te Ao Maori me te whai i tera kaupapa i korerohia mai ra e tetahi o nga mema i mua i a au a Heather Roy pea tetahi atu ranei mo nga take matauranga. A ka mutu ko te mema o te Reipa a Kelvin Davis i korero ia mo nga take matauranga me te pai o tenei o nga wahi kei te whakaakoako i te ahuatanga o te taiao me te Ao Maori. No reira he pai tera me ki kua noho tau tera take.  
Ko te mea pai ki a au otira ki a matau i timata te poari nei ki te whakapa mai ki nga hunga kainga o konei ki a Ngati Toa rangatira otira ki te Wellington Tenths Trust 
. 
Kua pataia te patai mo nga tikanga e tika ana mo te wahi nei no reira kua aro mai me me ki ki nga ahuatanga me nga hiahia o te hunga kainga.  
No reira ehara i te mea he nui nga take i tua atu o tera. Tuatahi ko ta ratau ngakaunui ki te Tiriti o Waitangi i roto i nga korero o-nehe ka pai kua mau tonu tera. Ka rua ko te ahuatanga o te matauranga me tana hiahia ki te whaiwhai haere i tera take kia noho tera wahi hei wahi whakaako i nga tamariki nga mokopuna o te motu nei. Ka toru me ki ka noho tata te kaunihera nei me te hunga kainga te tangata whenua o te wahi ki a Ngati Toa. Tua atu o tera he mea pai tenei mea o nga pire hai whakatau i enei take katoa. Kare he nui ake nga korero ko ta matou ko te tautoko a kia ora tatou katoa.  
[ 
Greetings to us once again the House. My address is not a long one but merely to follow up what others have touched on. The Maori Party supports this bill in its second reading. The stories relating to cosmology are recorded in history and in the ancient myths of the Maori people the indigenous people of this land. This is the reason why we support this bill because of its enormous benefits. What pleases me and the Maori Party as well is that the board of the Carter Observatory has resolved the following: “The Observatory shall have regard to the Treaty of Waitangi and the interests and needs of Maori people in all its business and in the allocation of resources to Distance Education.” We are very satisfied with that kind of statement because that board has considered the meaning of the Treaty of Waitangi very carefully and factored it into its operations.  
We were initially worried and concerned at the proposal to dissolve the Carter Observatory and to transfer the assets of the board to the Wellington City Council but it is quite all right because it has been made public. The cause of our concern related to the explicit commitment of the board to the needs and pledges of Maoridom in respect of the Treaty of Waitangi. However according to reports and because the Carter Observatory no longer functions as the national observatory of the country its Crown statutory responsibilities terminate as well. Further to that the Wellington City Council will take full responsibility for the ongoing maintenance of this place and has in fact been managing it since December 2007.  
The Minister has assured the Maori Party that the Ministry of Research Science and Technology has been working closely with the council and the board—I am referring to the Wellington City Council—to resolve matters and to ensure proper redevelopment and sustainability of this area. The Minister has further added that the board and the council have worked hard with Maoridom to pursue that programme about educational matters that a member who spoke before me addressed us on. Was it the Hon Heather Roy perhaps or was it someone else? It was Labour member Kelvin Davis. He touched on educational matters and how the observatory was a good place in terms of teaching aspects of science and Maori perspectives. It seems that that will continue and that is good.  
Pleasing as well to me and to the Maori Party is that the board began to engage with the locals here with Ngati Toa and the Wellington Tenths Trust. The question about the right customs for this place has been asked in respect of the concerns and needs of the local iwi and taken into account. 
So there is not much more beyond that. First there is the commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi in respect of accounts of the ancient past. That seems to be well in place. Secondly in respect of education there is the desire to follow up on that to ensure that the observatory remains a learning place for the children and grandchildren of this country. Thirdly this council and the local people of this place Ngati Toa work closely with each other. Beyond that the bill will resolve all these matters. There is nothing further to add. We support it. Greetings to you all 
.]