Fox Marama: Environmental Protection Authority (Protection of Environment) Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFox Marama: Environmental Protection Authority (Protection of Environment) Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 16 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9850. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā anei te mihi atu ki a koe otirā ki Te Whare. Kai te pīrangi au ki te whakanuia i tēnei o ngā tuahine i haria mai tēnei pire ki Te Whare. I a mātau i te pānuitanga tuatahi i a mātau e noho nei e whakaaro ana anā ko ēnei te take ka taea e mātau te tautoko i tētahi pire nui ki a tātau. Koirā tā mātāu whakaaro tuatahi! Hoi anō rā kua tae ki tēnei wā e ai ki Te Pāti Māori kua āta tirohia te pire kua āta tirohia ngā pire kai tōna taha kua āta whakarongo ki ngā kōrero o ngā iwi me ngā rōia i tēnei wā koinei te take kāre e taea te whakaae kai te whakamārama au ki a tātou katoa.[Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker; I acknowledge you but also at the same time the House. I want to commend this one of the sister colleagues for bringing this bill to the House. At the first reading and as we sat here thinking and listening we concluded that there are the reasons why we are able to support a bill that is important to us. That is what we thought at first. However we have come to this moment and according to the Māori Party viewpoint having now examined the bill and associated bills sitting alongside it carefully and having listened to advice from the tribes and lawyers this is the reason why we are not able agree to it now. I am explaining to all of us.]I want to assure Meka Whaitiri e te tuahine that the decision that we have come to has been a decision that we have made and have had great debate about within the Māori Party and it is in no way influenced by the Government in this instance. The reason that we have come to this decision is that we feel there are a number of issues with the Environmental Protection Authority and this legislation in and of itself is not going to fix and address those issues. We have been focusing on how we can protect the environment through the Resource Management Act decisions and the negotiations that are ongoing right now with the Minister involved.Kaitiakitanga is a fundamental policy and kaupapa of the party. As Māori—and the reason I think that my colleague has brought this bill to the House—we have a fundamental belief in looking after our environment which is what we would expect that the Environmental Protection Authority would be doing. However for this bill in and of itself to change some wording I do not believe—and we are of the opinion—will go far enough to ensure that that happens. So we look to the other bills that surround it which have some effect in this area. For us the concentration is on the Resource Management Act.We normally support the introduction of bills to first reading so that submitters can come and I have carefully read the submissions and the Local Government and Environment Committee’s report. I have taken note of the minority views of both the Greens and the Labour Party in the determination that they have come to. I want to assure you that this is not a decision that we make easily though we have been to the Minister to find other ways in which we can support the intent of what my colleague has brought to the House through things like the statement of intent the regulations and the directions being given to the Environmental Protection Authority. I think that actually the whole area needs some more stringent review and that is something that we will be advocating for to expand on the intent of what is happening here.Let us have a look at it. The Environmental Protection Authority among other functions regulates six other pieces of legislation—and those are the other pieces that we have looked into—that all have their own objectives. One of its functions is to manage the processing of proposals determined as nationally significant under the Resource Management Act and that is what we have chosen to put our efforts into. In this instance the Resource Management Act has clearly stated purposes and principles under Part 2 of the Act.Some of the unintended consequences that we feel this bill may have with each of the other six Acts having their own principles and objectives are in what the amendment will do to the Environmental Protection Authority Act and how all that legislation fits together. There is not time in the short call that I have to expand on this more though I am happy to work with the member and with the Minister to see how we can grow the protection aspect of the Environmental Protection Authority with those other six pieces of legislation including the Resource Management Act to ensure that on balance environment is not left to suffer while economic development flourishes. Kia ora.