Katene Rahui: Biosecurity Law Reform Bill — Second Reading 
Katene Rahui: Biosecurity Law Reform Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:675;Page:20644] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 The Maori Party in its founding statement expressed our commitment to keeping our natural resources and environment healthy safe and intact for everyone and for future generations. Within this the Maori Party is also committed to assisting whanau hapu and iwi as tangata tiaki to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the well-being and future good health of the environment. Both of these commitments lead us naturally enough towards a position of support for this Biosecurity Law Reform Bill. There are five key areas identified in this bill: border risk management marine biosecurity readiness and response pest management and compliance and enforcement. Sustainable success in these areas will depend on the level of decision making and that ultimately leads the operational side of biosecurity. It is for this reason that we believe it is important to look at the decision making for biosecurity before delving into minute details of the bill. 
At the very core of the Treaty of Waitangi is the principle of equal partnership. This means real involvement by tangata whenua at the decision-making level regionally nationally and at a ministerial level. As kaitiaki and Treaty of Waitangi partners Maori have a particular interest in ensuring there is an appropriate delivery and integration of matauranga Maori me ona tikanga into biosecurity science. This integration must occur in a way that maintains the cultural integrity of these knowledge systems and cultural practices. Constant communication with MAF Biosecurity New Zealand would allow Maori to build capacity and capability in this field. 
But this House is also considerably better off at this point of the second reading of this bill than we were when it first came before the House last year given the wisdom contained in the report on Wai 262. What that report tells us is that Maori have diverse interests in the management of taonga such as indigenous flora fauna and resources as both kaitiaki and developer. These dual roles oblige Maori to be involved in decisions that may impact on taonga. Wai 262 informs the House that iwi have relationships with species that are emblematic and have a spiritual element to them and their connection to the wider ecosystem particularly with regard to native plants such as harakeke koromiko pohutukawa kowhai puawananga poroporo kawakawa manuka and kumara. Also as uri of Ngati Koata of course I am proud to speak of our direct relationship to the tuatara. The relationship is underpinned by our own knowledge of these species or matauranga Maori. Yet the understandings of New Zealanders with regard to the environment today are largely based on the Pakeha relationship with the environment the Maori relationship being overlooked. Eventually this will cause the traditional knowledge and approaches to be lost. 
The interests of kaitiaki and those involved in the advancement of scientific and economic knowledge need to be managed so that a balance between the two can be achieved and both interests can be recognised and respected. How that relates to this legislation is quite simple. There is an expectation that Maori cultural spiritual environmental and economic values will be explicitly reflected in the decision-making processes of MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. We believe that Maori are well positioned to identify biosecurity issues and research needs that are important to Maori. At a national level we would like to see tangata whenua values and interests incorporated in the management of biosecurity as it is an effective way to recognise the customary use of indigenous biodiversity according to tikanga. This would mean a real partnership between tangata whenua and MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. 
Too often Maori are brought into the fray by Government departments too late in the process. More often than not the fundamentals of a decision have been made already. It is largely a box-ticking exercise at that point which benefits no one especially iwi. The Maori Party believes that the Government can and should do better than that. Maori need to be involved when the decisions are being made not after a decision has been reached. The relationship with MAF Biosecurity New Zealand therefore would have to be one between tangata whenua and the Director-General of Agriculture and Forestry to be of any real substance. Such a relationship would also ensure that Maori have the opportunity to debate and table reports such as the one on Wai 262 before the director-general as one would expect from a Treaty partnership. At the very core of the Treaty of Waitangi is the principle of equal partnership. This means real involvement by tangata whenua at the decision-making level regionally nationally and at a ministerial level. We would like to hear from the Minister about how a formal relationship between iwi and the director-general can be enhanced. 
It is also important for Maori to be aware of potential impacts from incursions of pests and diseases associated with taonga and resources in their rohe. At the regional level we believe that the legislation should provide for the role of tangata whenua as kaitiaki when developing and implementing regional policy statements and regional and district plans associated with biosecurity. A blueprint of how this partnership could work is the Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Act 2010 which sees iwi have equal representation on decision-making and management bodies as well as allowing for mana whenua iwi to develop their own strategies for the river. This will eventually be incorporated into the  
Waikato Regional Policy Statement 
. During this significant week for Tainui Waikato with the koroneihana in progress it is fitting to pay tribute to the visionaries behind that legislation. This is a true Treaty relationship at a regional level and it goes beyond cursory consultation which has proven to be ineffectual for Maori. It is indeed a model that we would hope this biosecurity law reform legislation could benefit from. 
We also believe that an arrangement whereby iwi have an equal say in decisions that affect them would address the need to ensure that there is regular and informed consultation with tangata whenua as it relates to protecting and enhancing areas and habitats that have particular significance for Maori. The key requirement is that tangata whenua should be involved and be given equal decision-making status in the development and implementation of regional policy statements and regional and district plans associated with biosecurity. 
Finally at a ministerial level we believe that it is in the best interests of iwi to be extensively represented on the Biosecurity Council of New Zealand which plays an important role in strategic biosecurity policy development as well as in advising the Minister for Biosecurity. The council has representatives from each of the primary production sectors from environmental organisations and from regional councils and yet there is no iwi voice. The Maori Party believes that that needs to change in order for there to be a lasting Treaty partnership in relation to biosecurity. We want to see the active involvement of tangata whenua in the protection of cultural values to protect the native plants animals and other resources that are taonga to Maori. In order to achieve this very important goal Maori need to be involved in decision making at all levels and the Government needs to be bold. We believe that the provisions we have sought are sufficient for that.