Katene Rahui: Palmerston North Showgrounds Act Repeal Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Katene Rahui: Palmerston North Showgrounds Act Repeal Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 18 November 2009. Volume:659;Page:7793. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 Arena Manawatu the venue at the heart of the Palmerston North Showgrounds Act Repeal Bill hosted a massive 2064 events during the year an increase of 132 on the previous year. Yet in reports to the Palmerston North City Council’s Finance and Performance Committee just 2 days ago it was revealed that the organisation had an $85480 deficit in the financial year to the end of June. In comparable figures Arena Manawatu’s equity is now down from $99600 to just $14121. Apparently the deficit is due to the bad weather as nine speedway nights were affected by the weather with six cancelled outright and three transferred incurring low attendances. 
But there is another cost that drives us to oppose this legislation at this third and final reading of the bill and that is the cultural cost the community cost of neglecting and rejecting the relationships with key mana whenua throughout Manawatu. A significant submission received during the course of the Local Government and Environment Committee’s deliberation was that of Ngati Kauwhata. Ngati Kauwhata pointed out the disappointing reality that some 3 years on from the passage of the Manfeild Park Act the Crown is again enacting another Treaty breach against Ngati Kauwhata by means of this bill. One would have thought that a very basic assumption of Treaty justice would be that we would not seek to create fresh breaches on top of pre-existing claims. We recall that the submission that Ngati Kauwhata made on the Manfeild Park Bill included the request that representation for mana whenua be provided on the Manfeild Park Trust board. That did not happen. However Ngati Kauwhata continued with their quest for representation both at Manfeild Park and now in this case with the Palmerston North Showgrounds. 
I put to the House the simple question I raised at the first reading of this bill: what would be so wrong with receiving the request from Ngati Kauwhata with listening to and considering their point of view? What would be so wrong in letting Ngati Kauwhata be part of the governance structure? The reality is that there are many longstanding reasons for understanding that mana whenua are committed towards upholding their responsibilities as tangata whenua to protect the land and natural resources of their district. In the case of Ngati Kauwhata in order to be able to honour these duties and responsibilities there must be a clear understanding of the history of the people. It is a history in which Ngati Kauwhata has been marginalised from their lands and trapped in poor health to forever keep them dependent on the Crown as beneficiaries. We remember the well-established advice from my whanaunga and Ngati Kauwhata member Professor Mason Durie. Basically the lack of access to tribal land must be woven into explanations for the chronic poor health status of Maori. 
Ngati Kauwhata contend that the land in question is part of the Te Ahu-turanga Block taken from them by proclamation and is subject to two Waitangi Tribunal claims Wai 784 and Wai 972. Ngati Kauwhata did not sell interest in the Te Ahu-turanga Block. In their view it was taken by stealth and under devious purchasing practices by the Crown and its agents. At the select committee Ngati Kauwhata members were quite clear and they asked that the bill be delayed until the status of the land in respect of ownership can be determined. There are other reasons too. Various Treaty claims are ongoing including a new claim Wai 1461 regarding the Rangitikei-Manawatu Block. This is a conjoint claim between Ngati Kauwhata Ngati Raukawa and all of Nga Iwi o Te Reureu. 
The Maori Party continues to oppose legislation that will allow the Palmerston North City Council to take control of Arena Manawatu. We understand that the council has effectively managed Arena Manawatu in the past 2 years and that this bill is merely a formality but the adage that possession is nine-tenths of the law is not correct and possession of ownership does not make it right. The council in its defence has undertaken public consultation on the change and has received no submissions in opposition. However it does seem as though there have not been any specific efforts to engage iwi. The council advised that iwi-specific consultation is more on environmental and cultural matters rather than regarding strategic economic assets. The council’s submission to the select committee did not discuss any consultation that it may have had or not had with local iwi including Ngati Kauwhata. 
However one of the key assumptions made about the way this bill enacts with the heritage and research of Ngati Kauwhata is that they believe they have the right to at least have the land in question considered as part of their claim. In the end that is for the Waitangi Tribunal to investigate consider and determine not the select committee or this Parliament. We cannot in good faith support this bill.