Henare Peeni: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHenare Peeni: General Debate[Sitting date: 21 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7419. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PEENI HENARE (Labour—Tāmaki Makaurau): Despite the hype and despite the spin this Government should be ashamed. Its regional programme of development actually is not a roll-out of rural broadband; it is still operating in dial-up. That is exactly what is happening in our regions.Let me give you an example. In the Bay of Islands they are really proud the people in the Bay of Islands that they will be receiving 30 cruise ships this summer—an amazing number of cruise ships. But what sadly has not happened in that particular region is there has been no development of the infrastructure—none whatsoever. They still arrive at the same wharf that was there when I was a kid and that did not receive 30 cruise ships. They still get off at that wharf and they cross still a one-lane bridge. A one-lane bridge in Northland—who would have thought it! After that they get over into Paihia they get over into Waitangi and into Ōpua and not one new hotel has been built.So how do we cater for these visitors? How do we make sure that tourism across the world the high reputation of New Zealand in the tourism industry is well protected? Well I tell you how we do it. We must be serious about our development our investment in our regions and that is just one small example.To continue on tourism the tourism industry—and I have said this in this House before—was very clear about its opposition towards a tax taxing our visitors. We have numbers that we have never seen before coming in and out of our country. Then all of a sudden a tax gets placed on that kind of travel. The industry was clear. It did not want it but this Government still pushed ahead with its tax on travellers.All of these things I fear do not bode well for our tourism industry. I want to congratulate those people because I think they have got there under their own steam. It certainly has not been by any great piece of legislation any fantastic policies or strategies but by the hard work of the people in the tourism sector. It has been brought up in this general debate the kōrero the conversation around the detainees and more important our relationship with our younger siblings across the Ditch the people in Australia and the importance of this Government and indeed anyone who represents this country of representing New Zealand in the best way possible wherever they may go.It has been a huge concern to see how those people who are being detained on Christmas Island are being treated. Human rights issues—and I am proud of Kelvin Davis for heading over there leading the charge bringing up the conversation a conversation that this Government has been trying to ignore. In fact when I think about many of the people our own citizens over in Australia and this might seem like a bit of a stretch I think of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act. Te Ture Whenua Maori Act review aims to isolate Māori landowners those with shares in Māori land in Australia. It aims to isolate them over there to silence their voice on the many boards and the many governance structures that are in place to look after Māori land. I am all for growing Māori development of their land—I am—to improve the economy to improve the stake of Māori but it must be done collaboratively; it must be done by engaging those landowners and those who hold shares.The current reform that is going through at the moment does not do that. It isolates those people in Australia. It cuts them out from what we call in the Māori world ahi kā or their home fires and this I think is an absolute travesty given the Minister in his dealing with this Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill ignored the expertise of all of the experts and all of those who are involved in the Māori Land Court process. He ignored them all and handpicked a small group that could push through this type of reform and that would do this to Māori landowners. This is an absolute travesty. I encourage all of those whānau in Australia to stand up for their rights stand up for the shares that they own in Māori land to make sure that their voice is heard. In conclusion can I finish by saying “Go the All Blacks!”.