Sharples Pita: Electricity (Continuance of Supply) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Sharples Pita: Electricity (Continuance of Supply) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 23 September 2008. Volume:650;Page:19083. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Twenty-year-old Ietitaia Muliaga puts the Electricity (Continuance of Supply) Amendment Bill into perspective with a comment he shared as he remembered the last hours of his mother’s life. Mrs Muliaga who was hooked up to an oxygen machine with tubes running to her nose asked to speak to the contractor who had come knocking on their door that morning to turn off the switch because a bill of $168.40 had not been paid. His son remembered: “She asked him to just give us a chance.” Last week Gordon Matenga released his coroner’s report into the death of Folole Muliaga. His formal verdict was: “The cessation of oxygen therapy and the stress arising from the fact of the disconnection have contributed to her death”—“just give us a chance”. Mrs Muliaga did not get that chance but perhaps we as a nation have learnt through this tragedy to ensure that the crisis we have endured in the last 18 months will never occur again. 
So we come to this bill considering the vital purpose of continuing the supply provisions to ensure an obligation on electricity distributors to supply electricity. The amendment brings relief to affected communities which will continue to have access to electricity supply after 2013. It is about giving them a chance to enjoy the services and facilities that we expect any citizen in this land to have access to. We know that a fear in many rural Maori communities was that the deadline of 2013 would slash services and push companies out of town. In this context we were interested to see that the extensive consultation exercise included a submission from Ani Pahuru-Huriwai of Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust. 
We are pleased that the consultation with key stakeholders held toward the end of 2006 and early 2007 included the affected communities. We would note however that with the exception of the eight submissions from individuals Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust French Pass Residents Inc. and Rural Women New Zealand the bulk of the groups consulted were local government businesses and business lobbies distributors retailers energy trusts central government district health boards and a Government agency. We in the Maori Party believe that any policy is only as good as the people’s voice and we would hope that in the select committee process of the bill there is able to be full and diverse representation from the affected communities to ensure that the options receive a solid analysis. 
I think it is fair to say that this bill although it might not have affected a wide group of New Zealanders would certainly have had a dramatic impact on the affected communities if the amendment had not been put forward. The number of connections that as at 1 April 1993 were theoretically at risk of not being maintained was estimated at about 16000. Some analysis of the impact of this legislation has suggested that the impact was minimal—just 1 percent of about 1.8 million connections. But I would put it to those analysts that it is all a matter of perspective. The impacts of even the potential threat of electricity being cut for some of our people is extremely distressing particularly for those living in remote rural locations. 
Section 62 of the Electricity Act had set the alarm clock for 31 March 2013 and for some of our communities that time was getting perilously close. The purpose behind the original 1992 time frame was never understood. It was never clear why there had been an expiry date. All that we could make out was that it was a decision probably made purely on economic lines. It appears that in areas where the provision of lines function services were uneconomic due to the large distance between customers and the expense of servicing the lines the decision was made that come the magic date of 2013 lines companies would no longer be statutorily required to provide a connection to those remote rural locations. The most likely scenario was that 5 years on from here if a flash flood occurred an earthquake erupted or some other unforeseen freak of nature took place supply would either be terminated or the cost to consumers would rise significantly. 
Let us look at this a bit more closely. Let us take some of the adverse weather events that have tormented Te Tai Tokerau Waiariki and Te Tai Hauauru in recent months. A month ago Mount Manganui was hit by a mini tornado. Significant flood-producing rainfall occurred in Northland Coromandel the Bay of Plenty Whanganui Manawatu Marlborough and parts of the central plateau. There have been flooding high winds and earthquakes—all of them weather risks for the more remote locations. The possibility that lines supply might suddenly cease in say Tolaga Bay Takapau or Te Teko is a hardship that no member of Parliament could possibly sit by and allow to happen. Cessation of supply could mean as it did in the tragic case of Mrs Muliaga a chance of life snuffed out. Cessation of supply would inevitably impact on the health well-being and capability of any community to survive. Cessation of supply would impact on the viability of economic development on domestic services on farming and on rural life in general. 
The Mayor of Ruapehu District perhaps summed this up in a release she issued on 28 May: “The concern for Ruapehu District Council and the rural communities we represent has been that lines companies will withdraw rural power lines once the continuance of supply guarantee expires claiming a lack of economic viability. Historically the provision of electricity to rural areas was seen as an essential component of encouraging agricultural production and efficiency with electricity seen as a right for all New Zealanders.” 
This is one bill that we are happy to support under urgency. The matter of security and assurance of supply to many of our constituents throughout the seven Maori electorate seats is absolutely critical. We are glad to be able to vote in support of the bill going to the select committee as a vote of confidence in investment in the rural economy. I hope this speech has been close to being about what the bill is about. Kia ora.