Mahuta NanaiaThird ReadingHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for Māori Development): I move That the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill be now read a third time. Me pēhea e tīmata taku kōrero kia whakatau te waka o Te Arawa me ngā tini āhuatanga kei runga i a koutou. Nō reira Te Arawa waka Te Arawa tangata tēnā koutou. Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa Ngāti Whakaue tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[How can I open my speech welcome on this day Te Arawa welcome to you and those dearly departed that you bring with you. Te Arawa the ancestral canoe Te Arawa the people greetings to you all. Wāhiao Tūhourangi of Whakarewarewa Ngāti Whakaue greetings to one and all.]This is a milestone moment in our opportunity to rectify something that should have been done a long time ago. I want to acknowledge those iwi who are gathered here from Te Arawa who all have a significant leadership role to play going forward. I want to also acknowledge the chair of Te Puia the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) Harry Burkhardt and the chief executive of Te Puia Tim Cossar.There are so many people to acknowledge that are no longer here with us. I think back to the ilk of those like Te Kura-o-te Marama Waaka Te Autiti Wikiriwhi Ngawhare Maika Te Rangi-puawhe Kāpiti Hamiora and Hamuera Mitchell. These are but a few all of whom had been involved in some way shape and form in the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. That is an institute that has spanned a number of years and made a huge contribution. I acknowledge those koroua and I acknowledge the many kuia who have been selfless in their contribution to advancing the aspirations of Te Arawa but also of te iwi Māori in the work that they're doing in association with this institute. The Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute was originally a Department of Tourism concept proposed to take the place of the loss of the Pink and White Terraces in 1886. It was to be the new tourism icon in Rotorua. The Tohunga Suppression Act of 1907 typified the assimilation of Māori and in many ways became a turning point for Māori development and cultural revitalisation. Through the work of Tā Apirana Ngata the member of Parliament for Eastern Māori then legislation was passed in Parliament in 1926 which saw the birth of a predecessor organisation to the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and the original carving school Te Ao Mārama.I think back to the time of my own tupuna Whaea Te Puea when in the 1930s she sent Koro Piri Poutapu to Te Ao Mārama to refine his carving skills under the senior tutelage of Eramiha Kapua and working alongside Pine and John Taiapa to carve the whare Te Hono ki Rarotonga. He returned home to support a number of the old lady's other projects such as Tūrongo House the Kāwhia Methodist Church Ngātokimatawhaorua and going on to oversee many of our own Waikato master carvers such as Īnia Te Wīata.Te Ao Mārama has contributed much more broadly to our nation and this history is not really well understood. But many of the iwi across the motu can link the stories of cultural revitalisation to the role and function that the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute has played.NZMACI as it has been known now will become a legacy institution of Te Puia in the tourism sense. It's become a centre of excellence for Māori arts and crafts a tradition carried on still today teaching many of our children. We see it for example in the creation of Te Whare Raranga the first weaving school in 1969 and in 2009 with the opening of Te Takapū o Rotowhio the national stone and bone carving school. We also see it in the more recent opening of the waka school Te Wānanga-a-Kupe Mai Tawhiti.The institute was established under the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Act 1963 but as mentioned previously it has a much longer history spanning back 93 or so years since 1926. Today represents a significant milestone to resolve a longstanding aspiration amongst the people of Te Arawa. The Crown along with the Whakarewarewa joint trust initialled a vesting agreement on 1 June 2017. The agreement was signed on 4 August that year. Today is the next step in the process of returning Te Puia to iwi at this third reading.This is a memorable occasion for the Crown the Whakaue interests represented by Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust and Hurungaterangi Taeotū Ngāti Te Kahu o Ngāti Whakaue Te Puia Trust and by Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa. It's been a long journey with both the Crown and iwi having the resolve to see the efforts to return ownership of NZMACI business and assets through to its fruition. I am proud that it is this Government and this Parliament that will have the opportunity to complete the efforts of successive Governments.I remember when Parekura Horomia was the Minister of Māori Affairs and my ministerial colleague Damien O'Connor was the then Minister of Tourism. I held the humble associate portfolio for tourism and I can remember when those discussions were initiated with them. So I do acknowledge many people who have walked along the path to try and bring forward today. There are too many to acknowledge individually but I do wish to acknowledge the tireless work of numerous people within the iwi who have worked hard with officials from Te Puni Kōkiri and many more to ensure that the realisation of today can be for the benefit of your mokopuna and the next generation.The Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Limited Partnership will be the kaitiaki of this national treasure on behalf of iwi beneficiaries and it will continue to see Te Puia succeed as a business. Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute is the only institute of its kind in Aotearoa in the world. In fact when we think about the moment that we're in and the role that the institute can play in the recovery of cultural tourism then it's a significant opportunity that they have to help New Zealand bring forward what is unique and core to the recovery of our tourism sector.The vesting endorsement process in 2017 was an important opportunity for iwi members to learn about the nature of the vesting agreement how iwi groups will work together to provide a smooth transition to the new ownership and understand the benefits of the agreement. The partnership approach between Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa the hapū of Ngāti Hurungaterangi Ngāi Taeotū Ngāti Te Kahu o Ngāti Whakaue and the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust on behalf of Ngāti Whakaue will ensure that tangata whenua are at the heart of decision making to ensure the longevity of this kaupapa. Iwi have been looking forward to this day for many many years. I'm pleased the hau kāinga of the Whakarewarewa Valley are finally assuming ownership of Te Puia and the institute. While the vesting is not a Treaty settlement all of the stresses and strains within iwi and hapū that you might see in a settlement have played out in this process.The bill dissolves NZMACI repeals the New Zealand MACI Institute Act of 1963 and makes provision for the smooth transition to the new operating arrangements. It ensures that pan-iwi cultural functions presently provided for by the institute will continue now and into the future. Such statutory functions and responsibilities include encouraging fostering and promoting ahuria a toi Māori providing training for the iwi of New Zealand including whakairo rākau and raranga making grants to enable persons to study train and gain experience in creating Māori arts and crafts conferring diplomas or certificates on persons who have undertaken training or gained qualifications in Māori arts and crafts or Māori culture generally and providing and supporting demonstrations exhibitions and tours of toi Māori and toi whakaari Māori. In this regard we know that the future looks bright. It's a tourism mecca but it's also a mecca of storytelling of cultural revival and dare I say kapa haka performance—master class!We wish you well today and we know that the road ahead may not be smooth especially during this time in a COVID context but we have every confidence in the governance expertise the vision and the master planning that you're undertaking in Te Arawa to ensure that the future within your region happens with you beside you and with your aspirations at its heart.And so today the opportunity for this House to support the entirety of that aspiration for the benefit of all of New Zealand I think is a real milestone moment for Parliament. So without too much more I want to recognise all the people who have come to support the speeches today and note your ongoing commitment for success and to realise the vision of your people. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.