Flavell Te Ururoa: Smart Meters (Consumer Choice) Bill — First Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Smart Meters (Consumer Choice) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:662;Page:10789] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. E te Whare tena tatau katoa. Katahi ano ahau ka hoki mai i te nehu o tetahi o nga uri o roto o Ngati Manawa ko Bill Bird tera. Koia tera i whakatakotohia ki roto i te rua koiwi o nga matua tupuna o roto o Ngati Manawa i Murupara. No reira e tika ana kia tuku i nga mihi nui ki a ia kua riro ki tua o te pae. No reira waiho ia kia moe kia okioki. 
Ko ta tatau ko te wananga i nga take o roto i te Whare Paremata i tenei po. Me korero au mo te ahuatanga ki a Murupara. I a au i Murupara i te rangi nei ehara i te mea he hangai tonu o ratau whakaaro i tenei rangi tonu nei ki tenei pire. Ko ta ratau i a tatau e korero nei mo tenei mea mo te hiko ko ta ratau e whakaaro nui nei mo te moni hei utu i nga nama. Ehara i te mea mo te mita ehara i te mea mo etahi atu take kao. Ko ta ratau ko te kimi moni kia taea ai e ratau te utu nga nama e pa ana ki te hiko. 
Ehara i te mea he nui waku korero mo tenei take. E ai ki nga korero kua puta ki te komiti whaiti o te Commerce Komiti i tae mai wetahi korero mo tenei kaupapa mo te smart meters. Kare au i te mohio mena i tetahi taha ko te smart meter ko tetahi taha ko te dumb meter aua hoki. Engari i tona mutunga mai e ai ki nga korero he kaupapa pai tenei hei awhina i te hunga e whakapau moni ana mo te hiko na runga i te mea tuatahi he ata titiro ki te moni ka whakapauhia i runga i te hiko a ka mutu tera pea na runga i tera ahuatanga ka kore ratau e tere whakapau moni i runga i te hiko ka mutu ka awhina i a ratou ki te ata tiaki i te putea kai roto i te pukoro. I tona mutunga mai te tumanako ia ka whakamama i te ahuatanga o tenei mea te hiko mo tena me tena o roto i nga hapori kia kore e raruraru na runga i te taumahatanga o nga pire kei runga i a ratau. 
He paku awangawanga no matau no roto i te Pati Maori ana ko tenei na. I nga tau kua hipa kua rongo matau a whakakikingia nga roto o Te Wai Pounamu mo te hiko a ka mutu ko nga kamupene nui ko ratau te hunga ka whiwhi painga na runga i tenei mea o te hoko hiko. Ka pataia te patai e mena koi ra te ahuatanga ko te nuinga o te moni ka haere tonu ki roto i te pukoro o nga kamupene nui he aha ta ratau ki te hapori ki a Aotearoa whanui tonu? Koi na te patai nui. He awangawanga tonu no roto o te Pati Maori i te mea mena ka pera e aroha atu ana ki te hunga e rongo nei i te poharatanga e rongo nei i nga uauatanga o te kore moni na runga i te kore mahi ka mutu a koi na te awangawanga nui. 
A kati ka tautoko ake i tenei pire. He poto noa ake taku korero engari he whakatakoto i enei korero ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare Paremata i tenei po. Kei wareware i a tatau ko te hunga rawa kore ko te hunga kore moni kore mahi nei i te mea tona mutunga mai ka riro ano ra ma ratau nga nama e utu. Mena he awhina tenei ki a ratau kia ata tiaki pai mai i te ahuatanga o te moni kei roto i te pukoro e tika ana kia tautoko ake. No reira ka waiho ake nga korero ki reira me te tautoko ake i tenei pire i tona panuitanga tuatahi. Kia ora tatau. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Deputy Speaker and to us all the House. I have just returned from the burial of a descendant of the Ngati Manawa people. That person was Bill Bird and he was laid to rest in the cemetery of his Ngati Manawa ancestors in Murupara. Therefore it is apt that tributes of the highest order be placed upon the one who has passed beyond the horizon. Allow him to slumber and rest there.  
Our task is to debate the issues that are before the House of Parliament tonight. The thoughts of the people in Murupara today were as expected not focused on this bill. Their main concern as we debate the issue over power is about where the money is going to come from to pay the bills. It is not about meters or any other issue absolutely not but to find the money to pay the bills relating to electricity.  
I do not really have a lot to say about this issue. According to some reports from the Commerce Committee submissions about this policy relating to smart meters were received. I am not exactly sure whether the submissions were about smart meters or dumb meters or whatever. But at the end of it all and according to the discussions this is a sound policy in that it helps people who spend on power because in the first instance it monitors the money being spent on power and conserves the funds in the pocket. The desired outcome is that it eases costs to the individual and spreads it more evenly over the whole community.  
The Maori Party has a small concern and it relates to this. We heard that the ones who reaped the benefits by storing waters in South Island lakes and selling the electricity generated from that in the past were the huge power companies. The question then is if the majority of the money continues to go into the coffers of big power companies what is their contribution to the community and to New Zealand at large? That is the big question. It is a real concern for the Maori Party because if that is going to be the case we pity the ones struggling to keep above the breadline and struggling to find work. It is a huge concern.  
That aside we support this bill. While my contribution is a small one I have at least expressed it before the House. We must never forget those without means money and jobs because eventually they are the ones left to pay the accounts. If this bill is of some help to them in terms of stretching the money in the pocket then it is right that it be supported. So I leave my comments there and endorse this bill at its first reading. Greetings to us 
.]