Tamihere John: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — First Reading 
Tamihere John: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:617;Page:12738] 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE (Associate Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 Ko Hikurangitoku maunga e kore ra e nekeneke. Ko Waiaputaku awa e rere ra. Ko Porourangi te tangata. Ko Te Aitanga-a-Mate me Te Whanau-a-Rua ngahapu. Ko Harataunga me Mataoranga whenua. KoNgatiPorouWhanui-ki-Hauraki te iwi. Tihei mauri ora! 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Hikurangi 
 which never moves is my mountain. Waiapu flowing there is my river. Porourangi is the man. Te Aitanga-a-Mate and Te Whanau-a-Rua are the subtribes. Harataunga and Mataora are the lands. NgatiPorou at-large-at-Hauraki is the tribe. Behold the breath of life! 
] 
The NgatiPorou people are not just centred on the coastline of the Tairawhiti; they are bound and anchored in their very essence into the foreshore and seabed. My colleague and my whanaunga the Minister of Maori Affairs would not vote for this legislation if it discriminated or prejudiced our abilities to move forward in a protection regime for the foreshore and seabed. From the time that this bill hits the select committee we have 6 months to work through our communities as to whether there are unintended consequences perverse results or a range of other amendments that might be able to be made that ensure the upholding of the sanctity that the Court of Appeal has ruled. 
 Due process has been upheld with respect. Maori can go to the Maori Land Court and explore the extent of their customary right in that court. If Maori are not happy with that they can also go to the High Court under jurisprudence known as aboriginal title. One thing is stopped in both those jurisdictions and one thing only and that is the provision of exclusive freehold title. That is a Pakeha a Westminster tikanga. The alienation of our rights is predicated by this House ensuring that process. Maori members on this side of the House want a protection regime—one that is handed down to us tuku-ed from our ancestors. We do not want a regime that will be alienated again—where it is moni not mana that counts. We will vote for this legislation today. We will see what our people say in the cool calmness of their submissions as the select committee goes up and down this country. We will listen to our people but we are part of a Government. We are no longer an Opposition. 
I say to some of our leadership outside this House that we are now coming to the time when we must release the latent potential of our young people rather than always telling them what is wrong with this world why it is bad why they will fail and who will make them fail. The debate has to move on. We on this side of the House will reserve our judgment for the select committee. We will see how that process works. Coming from NgatiPorou that is our right. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have an intractable dilemma and I am going to share it with the House. The 11th call goes either to National or to New Zealand First. At the Business Committee meeting on Tuesday 10 September 2002 it was agreed that the remaining Opposition call would generally be given two out of three times to National and one out of three times to New Zealand First. My dilemma is this. The last six times that there were 12 speakers in the debate the National Party got the 11th call. However if we go back to the 95 times we have had a first reading debate—and of course a lot of the time all the calls are not used—we realise if we divide by three that that is not one-third. I can see a very good reason for both people being granted the call. In this intractable dilemma—and it has to be sorted out subsequently by the Business Committee—I want to offer the following solution: that 5 minutes be given to New Zealand First and 5 minutes be given to National. That gives both parties a share of the speech. I would take the leave of the House that that be the case.