Katene Rahui: Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill — First Reading 
Katene Rahui: Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:671;Page:17909] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 As the MP for Te Tai Tonga I am very proud to stand in support of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill. This is an important bill which “sets out the appropriate measures to enable the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery and/or Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) to facilitate and direct if necessary greater Christchurch and its communities to respond to and recover from the impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes.” There has been so much said already about the events of 22 February that one wonders what can be left to say and the bill itself puts this into words stating that we “simply do not have the capability to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.” But what has been so remarkable as the days and weeks have unfolded has been to see that there is indeed an incredible resilience and fortitude at every level of the response to this disaster. 
The key issue is that no one player should or could be expected to respond with a timely and coordinated recovery effort for the Greater Christchurch region. I am pleased to know that Ngai Tahu a leader of the recovery effort has supported central government intervention because in its view the range of the issues emanating from the tragedy have a scale and a complexity beyond any one institution to resolve. In my consultations with Ngai Tahu I am aware that they are confident that a close collaborative arrangement with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority will both deliver positive outcomes for Christchurch and enable Ngai Tahu to meaningfully contribute to the recovery programme. 
Ngai Tahu submit that a bold but considered central government intervention is required due to the scale and complexity of the issues affecting Canterbury at this time. Although this legislation does not have a Treaty clause it embodies the Treaty partnership and the Maori Party joins with Ngai Tahu in strongly valuing this approach. I state from the outset that perhaps one of the most important achievements which the Maori Party wants to draw to the House’s attention is clause 58(1) of the bill which states: “Nothing in this Act affects the operation of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.” and that if there is any situation of doubt the chief executive must exercise his or her power in accordance with the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998. 
The Maori Party has advocated for the first right of refusal regarding land disposal. This is important in respect of protecting the integrity of Treaty settlements. In essence the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill makes explicit the primacy of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act. This is so important not just because it demonstrates that the Government has agreed that the existing first right of refusal is sacrosanct and should be protected but also because it demonstrates the care taken in respect of formalising the Treaty relationship with mana whenua. We are pleased to bring to the House the views of Ngai Tahu that they seek to commend the leadership shown by this Government in enacting legislation that provides for the iwi to assume a key role in the recovery of the people and place. 
The advice we have received from Ngai Tahu expresses their particular appreciation of the way this legislation embodies the commitment of Ngai Tahu to be a partner with central and local government in developing a recovery strategy. The Maori Party has played a key role in promoting the importance of government formalising a partnership with Ngai Tahu with both central and local government a relationship that will be given effect in the development of the central business district recovery plan. The Maori Party promotes the creation of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and consultation with Ngai Tahu and locals in regard to the recovery strategy and plan notwithstanding that this is limited to consultation and collaboration. 
Finally at this first reading of the bill I want to share some of the vital data and statistics that underpin successful implementation of this bill. This bill is founded on the need for community participation in decision-making processes while balancing this against the need for a timely and coordinated recovery process. I want to share some of the amazing achievements I have been privileged to participate in through a unique development that I think of as the iwi Maori sector response. The Maori Party strongly advocates for a recovery strategy that is culturally appropriate for Maori. What we have seen unfold in Christchurch is a crisis response effort to support Maori and the wider community particularly those in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs through a collaboration between a number of iwi and Maori organisations known as the Maori Recovery Network. The network is a collaboration supported by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu. Within this all of the whanau support has been done by Whanau Ora providers in Christchurch and other providers from a number of iwi and Maori from outside of the region including Te Arawa Tainui Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Whatua. 
The contributions of this network are as follows: total number of contacts as at Tuesday 8 April 2011—9493; whanau with home safety concerns—161; whanau requesting food parcels—550; whanau requesting water—513; whanau needing medical attention—211; whanau needing clothing bedding etc.—132; whanau needing transport—76; whanau needing assistance with filling out paperwork—31; whanau needing counselling—106; whanau needing respite for family—19; whanau needing assistance with clean-up labour—69; whanau members registered with Red Cross—1518; whanau members registered with Work and Income—1113. The watene Maori have played a particularly significant role in this collaboration as they have conducted house-to-house visits and we are all enormously grateful for their efforts. I wanted to break down this detail into actual numbers because it demonstrates to me the real mahi that is being done every day on the ground. 
That is what this bill embraces and addresses. The bill formalises the need to ensure local involvement in decision making with the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery and the authority to work alongside the Christchurch City Council Environment Canterbury Waimakariri District Council Selwyn District Council Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu businesses community interests and the private sector in order that the planning processes under the bill take into account the local views and the views of those most affected. There will also be a consultation process with locals. 
The planning recovery of the Greater Christchurch region will occur through the development of a long-term recovery strategy which will be developed by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority in consultation with the organisations previously mentioned and Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu. The bill is an essential part of the recovery of the area. We are happy to support it and look forward to active participation throughout the ensuing debate.