Tirikatene Rino: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Tirikatene Rino: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 16 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4509. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I am pleased to make a contribution in the Committee stage of Part 1 of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Amendment Bill. Just picking up on the previous speaker Nikki Kaye where she mentioned about the attempt at a balance being made with this bill that is exactly the language that has been removed from the purpose clause. We acknowledge the actions of the Minister for the Environment and her officials in attempting to address what were two main issues I guess: firstly the failure of the bill to actually meet the obligations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and secondly bringing greater alignment with the Resource Management Act. 
There has been an attempt obviously to bring greater alignment with the Resource Management Act but it is arguable that the amendment to clause 10 “Purpose” does not go far enough in making sure that we meet our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in making sure that the preservation and protection of the marine environment is paramount. I know that this has been debated quite a lot in this Committee stage but I just wanted to express our disappointment as well that we could not give further consideration to these amendments which were hastily pushed into Supplementary Order Paper 100 at the Local Government and Environment Committee. 
I would like to use my opportunity in this call to talk in support of two Supplementary Order Papers. The first is in the name of the Hon Parekura Horomia and that Supplementary Order Paper 96 seeks to amend clause 14 the Treaty of Waitangi clause. As Miss Sage mentioned in her contribution there is a hierarchy in terms of our environmental legislation. What this Supplementary Order Paper seeks to do is to make sure that the Treaty obligations on the Crown are paramount and that there is primacy to the Crown and iwi relationship up front in clause 14. At the moment as it is currently drafted the obligations towards tangata whenua are pushed down and are relegated to notifications by the Environmental Protection Authority on applications and the like. That does not go far enough and indeed it is not consistent with many other general clauses. We cannot water down the Treaty. We cannot water down the Treaty. We must make sure that the general obligations between the Crown and tangata whenua and iwi are restored and put up front into those clauses. So I commend the Hon Parekura Horomia’s Supplementary Order Paper 96. 
The second Supplementary Order Paper is in the name of the Hon Annette King and that proposed amendment is to give recognition to the Moriori people. The Hon Annette King and I share the Chatham Islands in our electorates and it goes without saying that the Moriori are the indigenous peoples of the Chatham Islands. Before there was Te Wai Pounamu the actual name of the South Island was Te Waka-a-Maui. For everyone who knows their Maori mythology Te Waka-a-Maui is the canoe of Maui who fished up the North Island. The Chatham Rise back in the day was a stretch of land that stretched all the way out to Rekohu so the Chatham Rise could well have been the mast on the waka of Maui. But the Chatham Rise is a highly significant feature on the ocean floor. It is probably the most abundant fishery in the world. It supports a lot of the economy not only on the mainland but also on the Chatham Islands. Also there is a huge interest in the Chatham Rise in regards to oil and gas exploration. 
The Moriori people and the community of the Chatham Islands as a whole gave a very compelling submission. Although I am not a member of the Local Government and Environment Committee I did read their submission. I did read carefully the submission from the Hokotehi Moriori Trust and its plea to have recognition in the bill of Moriori and their tikanga. I have been part of that. Twenty-five years ago I was privileged to be on the Chatham Islands at the unveiling of the memorial statue to Tommy Solomon who was the last full-blooded Moriori. Those events were the start of the as they say Lazarus-like resurrection of the amazing people of the Moriori. There has been recognition of Moriori right through for instance the Maori fisheries settlements. But in terms of this legislation there is no direct recognition. 
Therefore I do support the Hon Annette King’s Supplementary Order Paper 104 which provides that Moriori are given specific recognition through the definition of “Maori” and that it does include Moriori also. Likewise “tikanga Maori” will also refer to “tikane Moriori”. The Moriori do have their own unique reo their own unique language. I actually have not been taught in that so I will not attempt to articulate the Moriori language their reo. But I guess we want to support and make sure that we give recognition to that community because as I mentioned the Chatham Islands does make a huge contribution. Potentially there are significant development activities that will be taking place on the Chatham Rise following the passage of this legislation. 
I just want to recap the Hon Parekura Horomia’s comments on the Treaty of Waitangi. We want to make sure that the Treaty of Waitangi is given primacy which is a general obligation on the Crown. I support his Supplementary Order Paper 96. Likewise I support Supplementary Order Paper 104 from the Hon Annette King which does give recognition to the Moriori people and their special relationship their culture and their traditions with regard to the marine environment.