Hipango HareteHARETE HIPANGO (National): Thank you Mr Speaker and I acknowledge you in the Chair this evening because it's well-known by members in the House but perhaps not the public that you presided as chair of the Governance and Administration Committee over the consideration and deliberation of this bill which is the Data and Statistics Bill. I stand for the second reading as a member of the National Party but also in my Māori development spokesperson role and Whānau Ora role. There's been some reference in the House in the debates this evening about COVID-19 and the importance of the collection of data for the roll-out of the vaccination into communities.I think what's important in relation to this bill data and statistics—it's about the collection of information and that with the collection of information members would be entrusting and having a sense of trust in those who are seeking this information. That was evident—and I refer to my Whānau Ora spokesperson role—during the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out. Why is that relevant? The relevance of this is that a lot of our Māori communities entrusted the Government with information but regrettably the Government didn't trust our communities to empower and enable them with information to target the very communities—the vulnerable communities—who are most in need. Our people entrusted the Government with information but the Government chose not to trust our people at critical crucial times for the delivery of that vaccination programme.This bill Data and Statistics Bill is very much premised on trust. The National Party supports this bill because the purpose of it is to update the principal Act—it needs updating. The Statistics Act 1975 was at a time when statistics was produced in hard copy the old pen and paper—my generation. Now we're fast-tracking through to the innovation of technology and the speedy collection but also the utilisation—the appropriate utilisation and delivery of that. I've talked about how significant and relevant that was for part of the COVID-19 response in our vulnerable communities.So in my Māori development lens—again I didn't serve on the select committee as you well know having been the presiding chair and I certainly acknowledge those members who did preside over this. The bill was referred to the committee on 9 November 2021 and then the Minister of Statistics the Hon Dr David Clark provided the first oral submission on the bill on 16 February of this year. There were some 40 submissions considered with 19 oral submissions heard by the select committee.In the House this evening there's been mention—and again I allude to my Māori development spokesperson responsibility and role—of the significant provision and cognisance of Māori participation engagement and uptake in the Crown-Māori relationship as has been recognised within particular clauses of the bill relating to the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.The first time that I was really confronted and exposed to the importance of data sovereignty and in a Māori lens was when I was attending a Whānau Ora hui up in Tāmaki-makau-rau—Auckland—about three years ago. There was a particular session on the importance of Māori data and information and who was to be entrusted and empowered with the collection with the holding and with the utilisation of that information. This bill attempts to address that in part.In the House tonight member from the Green Party Dr Elizabeth Kerekere made mention that within the clauses of the bill of reference to the Treaty of Waitangi and the relationship between Crown and Māori there's only mention of Māori as opposed to hapū and iwi. That's really interesting because when I presided on another select committee—the Social Services and Community Committee—when we're dealing with the Oranga Tamariki proposed legislation that has come up in debate and it arises in this House yet again. I sit on the Māori Affairs Committee and we deal with these matters on a regular weekly basis when the House is sitting. It's interesting that that has been raised it has been addressed within this bill and to my lens it highlights that there are inconsistencies in legislation that's being proposed to this House in terms of that level of engagement with Māori with hapū with iwi and the responsibility that the Crown has in that relationship.So in clause 4 of this bill there is some inconsistency across the board in terms of Government bills and legislation. This bill talks about engagement with Māori but it also specifically in terms of particular organisations that are to be engaged with it references whānau hapū or iwi—that's under clause 6 Interpretation". And then again there is a reference at clause—and I'm not familiar with the bill it was a cursory glance through this. I don't sit on the select committee but had this been brought to my attention—that there is a particular provision within the bill that does make mention only in a very small aspect and manner to hapū and iwi.So it just again highlights that there is some anomaly in terms of what is outlined in the bill and how it's going to be interpreted and applied. It's really important and I raise that as an issue for due consideration before this comes to the House for the third reading to get a level of consistency so that there's not going to be the anomaly there's not going to be the confusion and so that there is a measure of trust engaged with Māori with hapū and with iwi in terms of the seeking the sourcing the uptake and being entrusted to treasure and hold that information to use and dispose of it in the appropriate responsible manner.So also I made mention that I was at a Whānau Ora hui and at that gathering there was recognition by those working in the Whānau Ora space of the importance of data sovereignty. So we have Māori organisations that have been entrusted on behalf of their representative groups such as Te Kāhui Raraunga; that is one group and the responsibility that they have to be trusted by the people to be entrusted to care for that information. Information is knowledge and knowledge is power.Interestingly enough too Mr Speaker I looked at the Hansard record of the first reading of this bill and because you Mr Speaker—Mr Assistant Speaker McKelvie—are in the chair you are denied the opportunity to speak at this reading. But what I did notice is that at the first reading you did raise and talk about the importance of trust. And I quote that you shared with the House that "It is most important that we do that in a manner that those people providing the information can trust because if they don't trust it they won't fill the information in [or provide it] correctly." and that it—Kieran McAnulty: That's beautiful. HARETE HIPANGO: It is beautiful indeed because trust should be premised on the relevance and the significance of the beauty of a relationship. If it's not there then people will either withhold the information that's sought or they will give incorrect information upon which the Government would be required to act.In the few moments I have left I'm mindful that it's Budget day on Thursday and in terms of Budgets it's important that the information that's sourced from the census is reliable for the Budget information and the allocation of resources and funding to those targeted groups are identified within the census as is provided by members of our public.So on that note the National Party commends this bill to the House. Before it comes to the third reading I invite members to consider what I've shared in terms of the Māori development the importance of trust and getting consistency in our legislation that comes before the House in relation to engagement with the Crown."