Tamihere John: Aquaculture Reform Bill — First Reading 
Tamihere John: Aquaculture Reform Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:619;Page:15114] 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE (Associate Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I want to give the member who just resumed his seat a limited history lesson because those members on that side of the House suffer from either selective dementia or amnesia—or both. The member who resumed his seat—I cannot recall his name but I do believe that he represents the area of Whangarei— 
Phil Heatley 
: Very well! 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: Yes he is really appreciated up there. He has a new name; he is called “Wes”. They say “Wes the member?”. Here is the history lesson for that member. There was once a Minister of Justice and Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations called Douglas Montrose Graham. He was a senior member in the Cabinet of a National Government. That particular Minister of a National Government set in place the precedents that we have enshrined in this House in a range of agreements with Maori people over settlement processes. When this House of great honour sets in place constitutional engagements by way of documents settled in the name of the Crown as with those with Maori we do not destroy them lightly and we do not walk away from them lightly. I tell that member to recall very quickly who set those precedents in place. Who set those parameters in place? Who set those constitutional conventions—not just conventions but statutes—in place? It was a National Government that set those parameters in place. They are the bedrock of our constitution as any property right is. We do not in any circumstances err from those precedents. The Clerk of the House time after time has given select committees a clear steer that we do not change those agreements which have been contracted for and negotiated by the executive. Those agreements are in fact a lot like international arrangements. Rather than my putting words into the mouth of the Clerk of the House I would opine that they go very close to that. 
Once in 1992 in the dead of the night—for the benefit of that member from Whangarei—a number of Maori without consultation and without mandate were called into the parliamentary offices of the Prime Minister Jim Bolger and the Hon Douglas Montrose Graham and they signed the “Treaty of Wellington” also known as the Sealord’s deal. This history lesson needs to be carefully engraved in the minds and the memory of those on the other side of the House who suffer from selective dementia and/or amnesia. The reality is that in 1992 when Maori won at the Court of Appeal the right to uphold their property rights and injuncted the roll-out of a world-leading quota management system they were set to negotiate with the Crown. Under a National Party Government the Crown set in place the following precedents. In light of Maori giving up their rights to customary commercial fishing rights the Sealord’s deal was settled without negotiation consultation or mandate—no hikoi no mandate. 
The member should reflect on the fact that the issue of aquaculture was raised in those negotiations. Douglas Montrose Graham and the Prime Minister of the country at that time indicated that they would not settle in terms of aquaculture for the reason that it was not even in a policy scope at that particular point in time. It was not even able to be addressed or negotiated because it was still in the germane early stage. As usual with the National Party when the going gets tough it kicks for touch. When the going got tough whether on Securities Commission law telecommunications law electricity or transport it stuffs it up and on this particular issue it did not finish the job. Once again a Labour Government has had to finish unfinished business. The precedents are in place. The parameters have been driven into the bedrock of our constitution and members opposite did that. They were in the executive and were part of a caucus that signed off on them. I am sick and tired of Maori people being the meat in the sandwich and being the fodder of the National Party at the moment. The member for Whangarei is missing in his constituency his leader is missing from here day after day and we have to wear that. 
With this legislation we are giving the aquaculture industry certainty for a time. We are giving the industry stability and direction. No doubt the Primary Production Committee will look at the legislation. The Primary Production Committee is a fine committee—for the most part; I do not want to mislead the House. Apart from the National Party members who do not really contribute its members are a wonderful bunch of people from whom we will get a right result. We look forward to this legislation being engaged with by the communities. 
I conclude by stating quite carefully and clearly that Douglas Montrose Graham set the parameter at 20 percent of new quota stock. Douglas Montrose Graham Jim Bolger and all his mates in that National Party Government set those parameters. We are merely concluding unfinished business in terms of the deal and this measure is the best form of closure. It gives great solidity and sustainability. I commend the bill to the select committee and to the communities. 
I finally conclude by noting and stating quite carefully and clearly that I am grateful for the work the officials put into the very tiresome and onerous task of bringing certainty and closure to this issue. I also acknowledge the work of two very fine Cabinet Ministers and colleagues. They are Ministers Pete Hodgson and David Benson-Pope who herald from the great Mainland from the area of Dunedin. With that I commend the bill.