Flavell Te Ururoa: Major Events Management Bill — Third Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Major Events Management Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:641;Page:11451] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa e hoa ma i tenei ahiahi. For most tangata whenua across Aotearoa this week will not necessarily be remembered for the time that the Major Events Management Bill passed its third reading in the House. In fact this week will long be remembered as the day and indeed the week that Tainui marked the first year of the reign of KingiTuheitia. But as the nation has observed this historic moment in Te Kingitanga I feel it is appropriate to point out the sort of symbolic nature or symbolic relationship that exists between Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia and this debating chamber in Wellington. For if ever there was a major event in Maoridom the Koroneihana would fit the bill. 
In the middle of a significant and spectacular sense of occasion a protest of sorts threatened to disrupt all the proceedings. The House will have noted that on TV there was an element of protest and with elegance with dignity with mana the people of Tainui moved into place removing the young man who had caused a bit of a problem and who was the focus of the problem while at the same time Tainui women broke into a waiata—it goes like this: “Ehara i te mea; no naianei te aroha no nga tupuna tuku iho tuku iho.” It is a humble song and often heard on marae but the message is pretty straightforward and profound: “Love is not a new thing; it comes from the ancestors. It has been handed down through the passages of time.” 
I cannot help but contrast this reaction of the Tainui people to the changes to this bill as reported back from the select committee which now prohibits and creates an offence of pitch invasion. What the legislation now sets in place is that any protestors doing so will be liable for a $5000 fine or 3 months’ prison. But then again the coronation is not a major event! The fact that up to 60000 people including foreign dignitaries attended the week-long coronation ceremony was in fact incidental. The event was so significant that in addition to our own VIPs the Governor-General and Maori leaders from across Aotearoa it also drew to our shores King George Tupou V of Tonga Princess Kekaulike Kawananakoa of Hawaii Prince Teriihinoiatua Joinville Pomare of Tahiti Niue Deputy Premier Fisa Pihigia and Cook Islands representative Sir Frederick Goodwin. The final climax involved three waka taua carrying 120 paddlers down to present a spectacular salute on the Waikato River. But no that was not major! 
I make the point that “major” is clearly in the eye of the beholder. We have spoken throughout this debate about our wish that the eyes of the beholder actually include Maori eyes. At the first reading of this bill I asked that if the Governor-General is to have the final say then the Minister for Economic Development must consult not only the Minister of Commerce and the Minister for Sport and Recreation but also the Minister of Maori Affairs. We saw the involvement of the Minister of Maori Affairs in the decision-making process around declaring events to be “major events” to be a key way of protecting and promoting the status of tangata whenua in our land. We saw it also as being vital to ensure Maori had a say in measures to prohibit exploitation of intellectual property. 
This bill sets in place certain protections for events declared to be major events in order to obtain maximum benefits from it for New Zealanders. Are Maori—and the events that we have referred to throughout this debate—not included in the scope of the benefits for all New Zealanders? I am referring to the major indigenous sporting events such as the Waka Ama IVF Va’a World Sprint Champs; the major indigenous cultural events such as Matatini; major events of historic standing such as the Koroneihana and the annual Ratana gatherings; and others. 
This bill is also driven by the need to prevent unauthorised commercial exploitation at the expense of either an event organiser or an event sponsor. The bill provides for agreed-upon emblems and words to be declared as such and given legal protection for a specified period. The irony of this of course is apparent when we consider the skimpy—indeed minimal—legal protection that is accorded to Maori cultural and intellectual property. Indeed not long ago 26 June to be a little bit more precise in reference to an international security firm branding itself as the Maori Group our Prime Minister told a press conference that this was merely one of many examples of international businesses exploiting indigenous culture to promote their products and services. She stated as a matter of fact: “there is no international mechanism which could provide redress for Maori.” So the question is: how come legal protection is fought for for the Rugby World Cup but not for Maori? I would like to remind the House that less than a week ago the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reported that it remained concerned that such steps “tend to diminish the importance and relevance of the Treaty and to create a context unfavourable to the rights of Maori.” So on one hand we have a bill to protect big-scale organisers and big-business sponsors then on another the exploitation of Maori culture and intellectual property is discarded as being of hardly any issue at all. 
Such ongoing arrogance on behalf of the Crown would pretty much lead a man to protest. The right to protest is of course a right that we have strongly upheld throughout the course of this bill including our staunch support for Keith Locke’s Supplementary Order Paper to delete clause 25A “Offence to invade pitch at major sporting event”. It is probably not lost to the House that Maori have no problem associated with taking up the democratic right to express their concerns via the means of protest. At this very time we know that Bruce Ngaromoa and Montana Kelly are taking along with a Viet Namese man action on the roof of Sydney’s Villawood Immigration Detention Centre to argue for improved health at the centre and the right to allow family visits. Of course the nation as a whole took up the power of protest just 2 weeks ago at 12.12 p.m. on 8August a time chosen to remember the 12 children a year who die from child abuse in New Zealand. At the same time as the silent vigil took place another protest action was inspired by Allies of Whanau o Aotearoa. Their action was to fight for whanau to have their own dreams and solutions calling for an acknowledgement that Maori have the answers. Their protest was called the Make Some Noise Campaign telling the world to love their whanau by honking the horn ending the silence and standing up to protect our tamariki. 
It was in light of this history and current strength to preserve the freedom of expression that we have been moved to oppose the bill at both the second reading and Committee stage. We saw the new offence of pitch invasion and the threat of a term of imprisonment or a fine for going on to the playing surface at a major event as being unnecessary and pretty much completely over the top. There are already mechanisms within current law to charge pitch invaders with disorderly behaviour including a fine. 
The bigger crime for us is the blatant and ongoing reduction of the rights of Maori. The offence I am referring to is that reported by the UN that Government actions continue to diminish the importance and relevance of the Treaty and to create a context unfavourable to the rights of Maori. It is the ongoing and persistent poor performance indeed the failure of the New Zealand Government to honour indigenous peoples that will be noted again on the world stage when the UN General Assembly considers the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on 13 September 2007. 
The Government has an opportunity to do right by Maori in this bill by welcoming and inviting Maori involvement in the decisions around what are major events. Maori participation could be actively protected through measures taken to safeguard Maori cultural and intellectual property in the brands goods and services being associated with major events. We know that our finest Maori sportspersons will be actively engaged in the Netball World Championships in November this year the World Rowing Championships in 2010 the Rugby World Cup the following year and the Cricket World Cup in 2015. We honour their right to participate and we celebrate the amazing success of New Zealand sporting talents across the world scene. We will not stand in their way and we will support this bill at its third and final reading noting that our concerns have been put to the House.