Whaitiri Meka: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is subject to correctionWhaitiri Meka: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 10 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:8875. Text is subject to correction.]MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. E ngā mema o Te Whare nei tēnā koutou katoa. Greetings salutations and best wishes for 2016 Mr Assistant Speaker and members of this House.Can I briefly acknowledge those who may have lost a loved one over the Christmas break. I particularly want to acknowledge the sudden passing of my dad on 13 November 2015—Sergeant WīrangiWīremu Whaitiri who fought for this country in Korea for its sovereignty and for its lands that we enjoy. That is a contribution I would like to make today in the short time that I have.Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 is a statute of Parliament that aimed to reform the laws relating to Māori land in accordance with the principles set out in the preamble. These principles reaffirm the Treaty of Waitangi relationship between the Māori people and the Crown and the recognition that land is taonga tuku iho of special significance to Māori people. To that end the principles promote the retention of land in the hands of its owners their whānau and their hapū and the protection of wāhi tapu.It is interesting to note that it took some 17 years to work on that piece of legislation. That shows the complexity and the consideration required if you are going to do any major changes to Māori whenua. Yesterday the Minister for Māori Development spoke about ture whenua legislation as “coming around the corner”. “I am looking forward”—he said—“to having an introduction early this year—3 years on more than 100 hui an exposure draft and 20 hui currently in action as we speak.”The Crown and the Minister for Māori Development assert that the bill will result in better law better support and better outcomes for Māori landowners with greater opportunities for the exercise of tikanga in land management. I strongly oppose that assertion. The bill will weaken judicial protections and see people lose meaningful interests in fractionally owned Māori land through corporatisation and the changing of Māori freehold land title. The current Ture Whenua Maori Act which I just read out is about land or whenua as taonga tuku iho to be protected and enhanced. The bill will do nothing to uphold protect and maintain whenua.There are some members in this House who have spoken in the press around scaremongering. I put it to this House and to the public who may be watching today’s debate—is it scaremongering and alarming that the process has been rushed that consultation has been negligible and that the proposed reforms will not solve the complex issues around fractionally owned Māori land particularly where a large number of people hold small interests contained within the current Act? Is it scaremongering and alarming that in the four consultation hui that I attended in my electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti with over 400 people present there was no value seen in rewriting Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993? Is it scaremongering and alarming that a consistent concern of Māori landowners was the potential for Māori freehold title land to be turned into general title with it then being either mortgaged against or worse still sold?Is it scaremongering and alarming if the Waitangi Tribunal’s draft report criticised the review process and supported the claimants’ view that there has not been enough consultation and consensus to alter the existing law? Is it scaremongering and alarming that the Māori Women’s Welfare League president and lawyer Prue Kapua has backed the tribunal or that the Tairāwhiti District Māori Council chair Owen Lloyd has said Government officials have not visited marae in his rohe? Or that the New Zealand Māori Council co-chair Maanu Paul supported the tribunal’s recommendation and disagreed with Mr Finlayson that the report had got some of its facts wrong?Lack of consultation lack of support lack of independent legal advice and lack of respect for the Waitangi Tribunal tells me that this bill is heading down the wrong track. It is unnecessary. It is poorly written and the Minister for Māori Development needs to take heed of the people who will say—and come to Parliament to say—that the bill is not properly written it has not been consulted on and it lacks support. I say to the House and to the Minister that we need to take cognisance of the views of the Māori landowners. Kia ora tātou.