Bayly Andrew: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBayly Andrew: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 20 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3506. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua): It is a pleasure to be speaking on the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. But before I do so I just want to acknowledge Mr Pita Paraone as the representative of iwi family on the board and as chair of the board and I also pass on my condolences to Mr Peeni Henare of course in his time of need and acknowledge the great contribution that his father made to the trust.As New Zealanders we all recognise the importance of Waitangi given its historical significance and because it is embedded in our national heritage. It is a site where our bicultural nationhood actually began. Its heritage status is actually unquestioned. For me personally it also is a place of great meaning. The Baylys have farmed alongside Waitangi trust land for many many years. In fact my brother and sister-in-law currently lease some of the trust land where you often see my brother’s Angus heifers grazing. As such I have been a regular visitor to Waitangi over many many years.There is nothing like the hot summers of the north and the colours of the sea in the harbour. When you look across the harbour and think about the strange quaint place of Russell back in the early 1840s and how it was described as a den of iniquity of the Pacific it is a hard thing to envisage. Named after the British aristocracy the charm of the settlement today is a far cry from that infamy. The local population was attracted to a mixture of deserters from ships escaped convicts from Botany Bay in Australia brothels grog sellers whalers and traders—all growing fat on all the incomers to that area. Nowadays there is little hint of that sordid past.What I like is how the Waitangi National Trust actually defines Waitangi. It is “a place for all New Zealanders a place of accord for all peoples. A place standing central to our history as a nation and at the centre of growth of our nation.” The trust’s vision for Waitangi for 2020 is to be a place of relevance to all New Zealanders to be New Zealand’s most important historical place to be an important tourism destination to operate in a sustainable long-term organisation and to be a model for bicultural development.After the signing of the Treaty in 1840 the Busby family continued to own the land and property and the house fell into disrepair. It was not until 1932 that the Governor-General Lord Bledisloe and his wife visited the Bay of Islands and agreed to acquire the 1000 acres plus the house with a view to gifting it to the nation. This historic spot the Treaty House and that land was formally handed over to New Zealand on 6 February 1934 commencing a tradition of what is now known obviously as Waitangi Day.The deed of the Waitangi National Trust drawn up in 1932 sets out the objectives for the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The first board comprised the Bledisloes—as the donors—the Prime Minister Ministers representatives from certain Māori families and representatives from the Busby Williams and Wakefield families. The latter family—the Wakefields—I have got to say I am related to through my mother’s family.The board today continues to include descendants from all the families involved those 83 years ago but with the passage of time it is obviously now important to look at how the structure of that trust is established and to set it on a new course that is modernised and relevant to its current purpose. The trust is currently self-funded and carries out the work of maintaining the Treaty grounds without creating a cost to the people of New Zealand.The original Act the Waitangi National Trust Board Act 1932 has been examined in detail by the Māori Affairs Committee and unanimously recommended that the amendment bill should be passed with a list of amendments. This Government seeks to strengthen the financial viability and governance structure of the trust. So it is done really with the purpose that all New Zealanders and visitors alike continue to benefit from this historical site and there is nothing better than to be at Waitangi at dawn for the service or to watch the changing of the guard and the raising of the flag on those hallowed grounds.This amendment bill addresses the representation on the trust. At present the board has two sets of representatives: one being ex officio members—the Prime Minister the Minister of Conservation and the Minister for Māori Development as well as the Governor-General—and the second group being the representatives of the families of the Pākehā and Māori individuals who were prominent in New Zealand’s colonial past.In the case of the second group there is obviously a current disparity between the representatives of the Pākehā families where there is one member for each family and the representative for the Māori families being one member only. The Māori Affairs Committee’s deliberations recommend that each of the four Māori families has its own representative. Although this will increase the number on the trust board it is a logical outcome.The other step change in this bill concerns the ex officio members—namely the removal of the Governor-General and Ministers from the position on the board. If the Governor-General so wishes he or she may become an honorary patron of the trust. Thirdly forming a group of Crown representatives to continue to maintain the communication and sharing of information with the board was recommended. This group is going to consist of the Prime Minister the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage and the Minister for Māori Development. Two additional MPs are going to be appointed to the board one from the Government and one from the Opposition.The removal of the Governor-General and the Ministers from the ex officio positions clarifies their roles and removes any ambiguity over their constitutional role versus their roles as trustees. A clear separation between the Government and the board will therefore exist while at the same time ensuring that positive work continues to exist on that board.Consideration is also being given to the maximum term of board members. They will be limited to 9 years being three terms of 3 years. At the moment there is no such constraint and there is a transitional measure that allows any person currently getting close to a 9-year term to roll that over for an initial 3-year term. That will help in a transitional sense to ensure ongoing representation during this period of change.I also just want to highlight the fact that this Government is absolutely focused on settling grievances. Under the Hon Chris Finlayson we have signed 46 deeds of settlement since 2008 and as at February this year 72 deeds of settlement have been signed and 43 of these have been passed into legislation. These represent over two-thirds of the land area of New Zealand and nearly half of all of the settlements that we expect to settle. And of course we have set ourselves a target that by 2017 all willing and able iwi will have deeds of settlement in place.This Government places much importance on settling grievances and also what we are doing with this bill is putting in place a modern framework that will help to continue that process. I want to particularly acknowledge the work of the Māori Affairs Committee and also the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations in supporting this bill.Bill read a second time.