9. Question No. 9—Local GovernmentSIMON COURT (ACT) to the Minister of Local GovernmentQuestion No. 9—Local Government9. SIMON COURT (ACT) to the Minister of Local Government: What is the intent behind clause 141 of the Water Services Entities Bill and do Te Mana o te Wai statements grant mana whenua rights beyond those of other groups to influence the activity of water services entities under her Three Waters reform?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Local Government): Mr Speaker mālō ni. Te Mana o te Wai's statements enable communities to put the health and wellbeing of water catchments at the centre of decision making by involving mana whenua and councils on behalf of their communities and can be practically implemented by each of the four water service entities.Simon Court: Why does this bill afford these rights only to Māori with an interest in fresh water and not to communities businesses and farmers who rely on fresh-water bodies for their livelihoods?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: Te Mana o te Wai assumes an intergenerational commitment to our most precious resource: water. That's important to Māori it's important to farmers and it's important to all communities. Design of mechanisms to give te mana o te wai need to carefully balance iwi hapū and whānau input with the need for water service entities to undertake investment activities to address the significant infrastructure deficit and be consistent with the new economic regulatory regime. Designed well these objectives need not be mutually exclusive. In fact they benefit the whole community and can take account of green infrastructure solutions for improved health and environmental solutions—that'll be good for farmers as well.Simon Court: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not believe the Minister addressed the question which was specific: Why does this bill afford these rights only to Māori with an interest in fresh water" to prepare Te Mana o te Wai's statements? I don't believe she's addressed it.SPEAKER: Well I disagree with you.Simon Court: Does the Minister stand by her statement that "Māori have not expressed rights and interests in three waters assets over and above those as ratepayers" and if so why is her bill only allowing Māori to make Te Mana o te Wai statements with no limits on their demands and to which water service entities are required to respond and give effect to?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: To the first part of the question Te Mana o te Wai statements embody an intergenerational perspective to put the health and wellbeing of the environment communities and the public at the centre of its thinking. It is a different approach; it does come from what is already accepted and established in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 and it does enable all communities to benefit from this perspective when we think about improved water service delivery.Dr Duncan Webb: Do Te Mana o te Wai obligations lead to exclusive outcomes just for Māori?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: No. Te Mana o te Wai responsibilities benefit the whole community and the environment by taking an intergenerational approach to the sustainable management and service delivery of water. When we consider how local implementation of Te Mana o te Wai objectives are implemented we will observe a range of initiatives that support source protection; improving the catchment health of lakes streams and rivers; and in water service delivery could lead to further nature-based design solutions to improve waste water and stormwater designs.Simon Court: Based on that answer that communities will benefit from iwi and hapū making Te Mana o te Wai statements why can only iwi and hapū give Te Mana o te Wai statements?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: Again to the first part of the question Te Mana o te Wai statements are developed by iwi mana whenua groups but not for the exclusive benefit of Māori. In fact it's for the combined benefit of communities the environment and in the way that we think about the intergenerational challenge of looking after our most precious resource: water—everyone will benefit.Simon Court: Are spiritual beliefs such as the existence of a taniwha on a bend in the river permissible subject matter for Te Mana o te Wai statements and if so why should taxpayer-funded entities be required to give effect to spiritual beliefs?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: That member sadly mischaracterises the intent of Te Mana o te Wai statements which are intended to be practical applications for the way in which we can look after the intergenerational obligations towards our most pressure resource which is water. If I think about the way in which the principles informing Te Mana o te Wai can be adopted for everyone's benefit—I'm informed by the national policy statement for fresh water—there are six main principles to take account of: mana whakahaere the obligation of kaitiakitanga manaakitanga to ensure that governance includes everybody's interests long-term stewardship and care and respect. I would faithfully hope that the member has sighted a Te Mana o te Wai fact sheet—that has been long held and put up on the website by the Ministry for the Environment. He chooses to ignore that information at his peril."