Ferris TākutaTĀKUTA FERRIS (Te Pāti Māori—Te Tai Tonga): Tēnā koe e te Pīka. E tu ana ahau ki te whakapuaki i ngā whakaaro o Te Pāti Māori mō tēnei o ngā pire e kīia nei ko te European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill. Ka hāngai taku titiro ki te rangatiratanga o te iwi Māori me te takenga mai o taua rangatiratanga i te Tiriti o Waitangi.[Thank you Madam Speaker. I stand to express the opinions of the Māori Party about this bill known as the European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill. My perspective focuses on the sovereignty of the Māori people and the origin of that sovereignty in the Treaty of Waitangi.]Let me start by acknowledging Mr Shaw's comments with regard to the issues that we raised last time. Whilst I recognise there will be many financial windfalls to celebrate in this agreement I'm going to focus on some of its constitutional shortcomings. Whilst the agreement includes a Māori trade chapter and a Treaty of Waitangi exception to and I quote ensure the Government can meet its obligations to Māori" much like the United Kingdom free-trade agreement that that we opposed last term the Treaty of Waitangi exception clause remains unchanged from previous free-trade agreements dating back to 2001 despite recommendations from the Waitangi Tribunal that more effective protections were needed. So yet again when it comes to the Crown meeting its Tiriti obligations it continues to fall woefully short.The Māori trade chapter focuses only on the commercial interests of Māori but ignores wider concerns about the protection of our rights and interests. There are also no provisions to protect mātauranga Māori from exploitation. For example it does recognise mānuka honey with a macron as a uniquely Māori product yet allows the importation of Australia's manuka honey actively undermining the mātauranga Māori the intellectual property and the provenance of Māori products and all of this was purporting to be upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi.Although this may be a good deal for New Zealand as a whole Māori continue to be constitutionally marginalised and it is a failed opportunity to reimagine Tiriti-centric trade policy. Like every free-trade agreement Māori have been shut out—shut out and had no rangatiratanga over the negotiations. Vague statements by Governments about how Māori will be better off under this trade agreement is not partnership. It is not what Te Tiriti o Waitangi envisaged or intended. They alone decide the negotiating mandate what compromises are acceptable and what the final text will be with no role at the table for Māori that reflects the constitutional relationship embodied in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.Last term we opposed the UK free-trade agreement because Māori were completely shut out of the negotiations and it failed to adequately protect our rights and interests particularly over mātauranga Māori and intellectual property. The Māori trade clause in this agreement is unenforceable and it hasn't been updated for 23 years since 2001. This is of particular concern for Te Pāti Māori given many of the actions taken by this Government in their first 100 days have been ruthlessly focused on undermining Māori Tiriti rights.Nō reira until tangata whenua are properly recognised as the underwriter the principal partner in Te Tiriti o Waitangi the constitutional relationship agreement that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is and the enabling authority it affords this House to exist we will continue to hold the line for te iwi Māori and our constitutional rights as declared in He Whakaputanga the declaration of independence and subsequently in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. On this basis we do not support the bill. Tēnā tātou."