Flavell Te Ururoa: Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:630;Page:2313] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena tatou katoa i te Whare. References to our physical world—our environment—are made in speeches on our marae throughout the country every day. For example we say: e haunui ana i raro e hari ana i runga it is blowing below but the sky above is clear; and e hoki ki to maunga kia purea ai koe e nga hau a Tawhirimatea return to your mountain to be cleansed by the winds of Tawhirimatea. 
The Maori Party is pleased that the Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill is having its first reading in the House today for it is one bill that again forces this Parliament to really come to terms with global concerns. It is an issue that tangata whenua can provide significant expertise in given our intimate association with the world around us. Traditional Maori knowledge of weather and climate and of associated activities such as gardening and fishing guide us on how we understand climate variations. In the days of our tupuna the scarcity of food resources brought about by environmental factors such as major climate changes meant that they had to define greater areas of land for crop growing. Changes in tangata whenua practices and customs that interact strongly with the climate are a key to future planning. We must build on this knowledge at both central government and local government levels if we are to act responsibly to protect and nurture Papatuanuku as she provides protection stability and security through whenua; turangawaewae for her offspring. 
This bill reinstates the ability of local government to consider the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change when considering applications for air discharge consents. The Maori Party asks who better to ask about weather than the local weather watchers. The National Climate Centre in the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research has just completed a pilot programme that describes the expertise of local Maori weather watchers. The project describes the local environment knowledge of the weather and climates of two tribal areas Ngati Pare in the Coromondel and Te Whanau-a-Apanui in my electorate in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. According to the research there are three key strands to the knowledge: the naming and classification of local weather and climate phenomena the oral recording of weather and climate-based events and trends and the use of environmental indicators to forecast weather and climate. 
The first strand is a fascinating area—one can learn about all of the different understandings tangata whenua have developed about climatic features. Given that the sky is a little bit grey today let us look at rain. We have ua kowhai spring showers; puroro hard-driving rain; awha severe rain; ua light rain; kohukohutere light misty rain; and tomairangi dewdrop rain to name but a few. Our people used extensive knowledge of the local climate the wind direction the rainfall patterns and the seasonal patterns to help them make decisions about the timing safety and viability of their activities. 
We are happy to support this bill through to the select committee as we believe tackling climate change requires action at all levels. We call on this House to honour the history and expertise of tangata whenua in developing strategies to achieve change. There must be active engagement with mana whenua in decision making in their rohe and we hope that the submissions will provide clarity on this and on the ways in which the Resource Management Act can be strengthened to ensure effective representation. We all need to look critically at climate change and generate solutions that are determined by the people. Most global warming over the last 150 years is attributable to human activity—not UFOs or supernatural occurrences but real live people. Accordingly real live people will protect us with the answers. 
Government should initiate proactive research strategies to achieve vehicle fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions. At the local government level we can achieve change through transport and land use planning in order to encourage reduced emissions from motor vehicles. The Maori Party is committed to assisting whanau and hapu as tangata tiaki to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the well-being and future good health of the environment. We need to take action on all fronts—the Kyoto Protocol carbon tax and in our homes. To set the record straight I say that the Government failed to formally approach the Maori Party before cancelling out on the discussion around carbon tax. We need to note that in this House today. 
The climate change will impact on Maori in diverse ways. The resources most vulnerable to future climate change are likely to include coastal areas land in eastern areas already prone to drought some Maori lands and indigenous species. The point of all of this is that tangata whenua can be part of the planning for the climate change using our experiences and knowledge that we have gained through periods of time and over the generations.