Sharples Pita: Auckland Domain (Auckland Tennis) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Third Reading 
Sharples Pita: Auckland Domain (Auckland Tennis) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Third Reading 
[Volume:647;Page:16705] 
Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Madam Assistant Speaker. Like many others I would like to take the opportunity to meander through a bit of tennis having been a small-town champion myself in Hawke’s Bay and with a love for the game. I have done a bit of research and it might interest members to know that the modern game of lawn tennis takes its origins from late 19th century England and in particular from Major Walter Clopton Wingfield. It was not long before the finest of indigenous talents had picked up the ball and shown the world what we were made of. We think of such stars on the courts as Ruia Morrison-Davy the first Maori and the first New Zealand woman to make it to Wimbledon; Kelly Evernden who represented New Zealand at Davis Cup level; Tutere Durie who is competing at the World Junior Tennis Asia/Oceania competition in China; Kataraina Hunia who spent 5 months training in Barcelona; Barrett Franks of Ngapuhi fame I tell Mr Harawira who played in the world junior tennis finals in the Czech Republic; Ngati Raukawa player Tracey O’Connor; Ngati Maniapoto player Luci Barlow;  
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 star and Olympic competitor Rewa Hudson; and Ngati Porou champion Mose Harvey who in winning the world super seniors 70 plus was the first New Zealander to win a world title in tennis. 
The Tainui tennis champ Leanne Baker perhaps best epitomises the lengths to which tangata whenua will go to in advancing this sport. Two months ago Baker battling a broken toe fought on through a 3-hour match to win the United States international tennis tournament in Mazatlán Mexico. There is a whakatauaki a proverb that encourages this never-give-up attitude which Leanne must know well and it is one that people in here could follow. It says: “Kaua ma te waewae tutuki e hokia engari ma te upoko pakaru.” which translates as “Do not give up and turn back because you stub your toe—only if you split your skull”. There is some good advice there. This incredible international hall of fame may seem a long way away from the days of Major Walter Clopton Wingfield but it illustrates that even Maori are out there excelling in the elite sports in almost every field we take on. 
I wanted to set out this context in some depth as way of background to this Auckland Domain (Auckland Tennis) Amendment Bill. But of course when we are talking background we could go back even further. Maori participation in tennis dates back to the 1890s. In fact as a descendant of Ngati Kahungunu I am proud to reveal that the earliest photograph of Maori playing tennis dates back to 1899 and depicts Maori shearers playing on the courts of Elms Hill Station in Hawke’s Bay. In the same year Sir Maui Pomare won the inter-varsity tennis championships while he was studying in the United States. Inter-marae and inter-rohe championships for the Turoa Morehu and Marumaru Cups were in full swing by 1910. The New Zealand Maori Tennis Association was formally constituted in 1926 by Sir Apirana Ngata long before the Auckland Domain was developing the facilities for the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association. 
However tangata whenua have a background with the Auckland Domain that predates even the history of tennis in Aotearoa. Almost 190 years ago Te Wherowhero the great rangatira of Waikato came to Pukekaroa to make peace with Ngapuhi. When Lieutenant Governor Hobson set about founding Auckland in 1840 at the invitation of Ngati Whatua—I repeat at the invitation of Ngati Whatua—he reserved some 200 acres around the central volcanic cone for parkland that eventually became the Auckland Domain. We can of course go even further back. Ngati Whatua have advised the Maori Party that they have a kaitiaki obligation that stretches back to the 1700s when the land in question was a waka tauranga a landing place for waka known as Waipapa. 
This history of the tangata whenua relationship with tennis with the Auckland Domain and with the Auckland City Council should have been canvassed well before this bill made it to the House. The requirements under the Local Government Act 2002 for councils to consult with mana whenua are not just words on a page or concepts to pad out a policy. The Local Government and Environment Committee stated that it was informed that local iwi had been consulted before the bill was introduced. Yet we wonder who it was that was consulted. Was it Tainui? Was it Ngapuhi? Was it Ngati Whatua? Was the Aotearoa Maori Tennis Association involved or Kingi Tuheitia its patron or its tumuaki Dick Garratt? When we in the Maori Party approached Ngati Whatua at the first reading of this bill we learnt that they were not aware of the bill even being put forward. It is hardly the benchmark of a good relationship on the part of Auckland City Council. The council now has a legal right to the land in question in its capacity as lessor but that should never have had the effect of denying the cultural interest that Ngati Whatua maintains in the land and the ongoing obligation of kaitiakitanga. 
Today as we approach the second and third reading of the bill we have learnt that Ngati Whatua now gives conditional support to the bill—conditional on tennis remaining as the kaupapa and not having something else such as the building of apartments. We would have expected however that Ngati Whatua o Orakei would have been involved in the planning stages. We would expect also that any development scheduled for the site will be required to go through the resource consent process which again should inevitably involve Ngati Whatua. It is not a big ask. 
The Auckland Tennis Association is a key player in the competitive global environment in which tennis events take place. The ASB Classic Women’s International the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and the ATP Heineken Open men’s tournament are all elite events on the prestigious international tournament circuit. The $25 million upgrade of the Auckland Domain is critical in order for Auckland to be able to maintain a high standard of facilities for players and spectators alike. Planning is currently in progress to develop state of the art tennis and squash courts; gymnasium creche recreation pool and health facilities; and a new on-site car-park. In the midst of such intense investment we in the Maori Party would have expected that ongoing relationships with mana whenua would be accorded priority. 
The slogan for Auckland Tennis is “Hit me with your best shot.” The best shot in terms of actively respecting and engaging with mana whenua is a long shot off but the game is not over yet. All we can hope is that Auckland City Council does not keep on serving up faults. The future ahead for Auckland Tennis will inevitably require it to engage in public consultation if it expects to apply for an extended lease or the right to sublease part of the site. We will follow the lead of Ngati Whatua in giving conditional support for this bill but the match point must be that we hope that the overwhelming generosity of mana whenua is recognised as Auckland Tennis moves forward. Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. 
Bill read a second time and a third time.