te Heuheu Georgina: Maori Fisheries Bill Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill (No 2) / Maori Land Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Readings 
te Heuheu Georgina: Maori Fisheries Bill Te Ture Whenua Maori Amendment Bill (No 2) / Maori Land Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Readings 
[Volume:620;Page:15772] 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
: 
Tena koutou katoa. I am very pleased to follow my colleague the Hon Dover Samuels and I agree with him that this is a great day for Maori but it is also a good day for this House as well. I do not think we should ever forget that these things come to pass because ultimately some people in this Parliament see the rightness of doing these sorts of things. We do not have to pat ourselves on the back but we need to remind New Zealanders that in making these things come to pass on their behalf we set ourselves apart in the world for dealing in a very open and honest way with issues that are quite difficult and we have seen some of the difficulty occur in recent times. 
I want to acknowledge the leadership that concluded the fisheries settlement of 1992 because it is that settlement that is the basis of the legislation before us today. Obviously I cannot name all of the leaders who were involved but there are first of all two who have passed on whom I want to name—Sir Robert Mahuta and the Hon Matiu Rata. I understand that along with Sir Tipene O’Regan they were the leading negotiators on the Maori side. 
On the political side I think we are probably all quite chuffed to see in the House this afternoon the Hon Koro Wetere the Hon Doug Kidd and the Hon Doug Graham. They are sitting there like the trifecta. I suppose they have reason to feel a little bit pleased as well. I understand that politics were not an issue at the time that they were negotiating the fisheries settlement with Maori and I kind of think that it might have been quite good to be around at that time because these days politics is the only issue is it not? I want to acknowledge those gentlemen. 
Clearly political leadership on both sides of the House made sure that that Maori fisheries settlement was concluded and it is political leadership today that makes sure that this legislation is passed through into law. 
During the Committee stage National was certainly unhappy with the legislation as it stands but there is a good reason that we support it. My colleagues have already referred to that and I referred to those things in my first reading speech. It is in relation to a recognition that was there in 1992. It was an issue of settling the past and re-uniting Maori with their property right in the fish. However this asset represents a huge economic go-forward plank for Maori and if it does that for Maori then it does it for the country as a whole. 
One of the things we can give some credit to Te Ohu Kai Moana for is the way it has managed the assets in the meantime. We have now reached the stage where Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd Sealord’s is a major player in the sector. It is recognised nationally and internationally. Now that the assets are to be allocated in part to their rightful owners Maori and the other part to a conglomerate sitting at the top in the form of a big company Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd then we can only hope that the economic potential that was recognised in 1992 will indeed be realised once this framework that the legislation sets out is put into place. 
But I cannot let this opportunity pass without expressing major disappointment that after 11 years or so of a forum finding a way to allocate these significant assets we have a framework here that National believes is overly bureaucratic; it is convoluted to some degree more so than is necessary it separates the true owners Maori from their asset by about six layers and my colleague Phil Heatley referred to the fact that as introduced the legislation created a huge number of hoops for Maori people to jump through without a corresponding accountability lying in either Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd or Te Ohu kai Moana Trustee Ltd. Work in the select committee has improved that but to my mind the bill is essentially still a disappointment. 
 Yes the commission has obviously worked hard and so have Maori. Sure there has been a lot of litigation in 11 years. The stakes are high but after all of that we still come to a framework that probably resembles a framework that one would expect a Labour Party policy team to put together rather than Maori. 
As I say the assets must go out. I am certain that that is why in the end Maori were willing to make the compromise they did because they knew that those assets must go to them. It is just a pity that a significant proportion of the assets will still be tied up with this sort of central controlling body. My colleagues are right in the sense that this will probably come back to us because Maori will want to be set free. It is a little bit of a cage that they have been put into here. It is like they have been treated as though they are witless. Clearly they are not. There is a huge booming Maori economy out there that should suggest to the Labour Government that the kind of framework that holds Maori back to this degree is not appropriate. In any event it is a good day in the sense that there is the potential for the creation of economic wealth and economic prosperity and that is why we support the bill.