Jones Shane: Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Jones Shane: Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:661;Page:9699] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 Kia ora ano tatau. Hei timatanga tapiri kau atu he kupu ki era atu o nga mihi i utaina ki roto i to tatau Whare i tenei ra. Kati e te whaea e Rai takoto. Takoto mai ra i roto i te whare i roto ano hoki i te whare tatai o Waikato ki nga tahataha o te awa me ana au. I pau i kawe atu to kaha kia ma kia harakore ai. Tera ano atu te au o Waikato ka hari i a koe ki te Tai Tamatane. Ka whai atu koe i te rerenga a to tupuna a Ueoneone ka hoki me ana kuia tokorua a Reitu a Reipae ki roto o Te Tai Tokerau. Ka whakauru atu koe ki roto i te moana tae noa ki Rotokakahi te piringa o Waikato ki a Ngapuhi Nui Tonu i tona wa. Katahi koe ka whakawhiti atu ki te puna e kore rawa e mimiti e kitea mai ana ki roto o Taumarere. Hei kona koe takoto ai hei kona koe okioki ai. Na reira e te whaea e moe moe oti atu. 
[ 
Greetings one and all. To begin with I would like to add some words of condolence to those expressed before the House today. Lady Raiha rest. Lie there in Waikato’s aristocratic house beside the river and currents that carried your strength as well as cleansed and purified you. Another of the Waikato River’s currents will take you to the west coast where you will follow the journey of your ancestor Ueoneone who returned to the far north with Reitu and Reipae the two sisters. You will travel across the sea to Kakahi a key connection between Waikato and Ngapuhi in days gone by. Then you will cross over to the spring that never runs dry which can be seen in Taumarere. Here you will lie and rest. Rest there eternally Raiha the matriarch. 
] 
It is a pleasure to stand very briefly and talk in favour of this Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill. Let us bear in mind that this bill flowed from litigation that originated with the tribes in Te Tau Ihu who fought to secure marine farming rights and were denied that opportunity as a consequence of bureaucratic inflexibility and provincial prejudices within the local government community of that part of New Zealand. After a successful bout of litigation and the very highly publicised seabed and foreshore issue an attempt was made to address unsettled business flowing from the 1992 full and final fisheries settlement. I refer here to the Maori interests in the marine farming environment. That was undertaken at a time when there was great debate as to whether such a claim had any merit whatsoever. So at least it is pleasing this afternoon to see that both of the main parties are of one mind that there was merit to those claims and we are endeavouring to give effect to that today. 
The aquaculture industry already covers 5700 hectares of water and it generates somewhere between $350 million and $400 million worth of revenue. According to Doug Kidd in the early 1990s it was to be a $1 billion industry. As a consequence of this settlement Maori are finding a place in this industry. Although this industry has growth potential it needs to be pointed out that the growth can come only through stimulating greater market demand and making sure that the production process in the future for these exports whether they be oysters fish or mussels is operated in the most efficient way possible. Those Maori who acquire financial capital as a consequence of this settlement need to be very skilful in how they invest those moneys because the aquaculture industry is no El Dorado. 
We are told that the aquaculture industry can grow to 16000 hectares although possibly it will be arrested by those existing property right - holders in the marine environment who fear that the profligate spread of aquaculture space up and down the country that does not take an account of the undue adverse effects test on those who have prior property rights can end up pitting Maori against Maori marine farmer against commercial fisherman. But in terms of the passage of this legislation it is another goal that is being achieved. It is good that both major parties and their various supporters see merit in advancing it and the true test as to whether it is durable will depend on the quality of the stewardship of the people who take possession of this financial capital and invest it knowing that aquaculture is a long-term game. It is not a game where wealth can be created by simply claiming space through the Resource Management Act and then hoping to hock it off at an inflated value because capital is short in this industry. Capital is short throughout our entire economy and until Maori and suitable partners manage to amass the necessary level of capital we will not see a massive increase in the amount of farmable space.