Lyndon Hūhana; Kemp Takutai TarshHŪHANA LYNDON (Green): Thank you Madam Chair. I have some focus questions and I'm wanting to examine with the Associate Minister of Health the Hon Casey Costello clause 5 amending the purpose of the Act noting that there's a removal of the purpose to reduce disparities in smoking rates and illness between the New Zealand population and the Māori population. And it really perplexes me as a Māori who is heavily impacted by smoking why we remove a piece of the legislation that actually provides focus—it provides focus for our policy makers and then for those who will procure services to meet these new legislative guidelines. So I want to unpack that a little bit and query with the Minister: did she consider the 2011 Māori Affairs Committee inquiry into the tobacco industry and the impacts of tobacco on Māori? Did she consider that in preparing this legislation? And did she have any other evidence or reports in terms of the Māori health impact that informed what the Minister has put forward to the committee tonight?Further wanting to dig into Te Tiriti compliance were there any Te Tiriti audits conducted on this repeal or have you had any advice whether it's from Crown officials or legal advisers in terms of whether this repeal is Te Tiriti compliant? And who prepared that advice for you? So I'm really keen to understand the who".In progressing some of what my colleague Peeni Henare has shared in the House I'm interested to understand any consultation that the Minister has undertaken with te Iwi Māori on the repeal of this legislation of our smoke-free environments legislation. In particular just considering you know the diverse expertise that exists within the Māori health sector and Māori organisations on top of te Iwi Māori was there any advice taken or received? Sometimes you may not have taken the advice but it was received by your office. Can you share with the committee any concerns that you may have received from Māori health experts advocates or others through your office?In closing thinking about you know iwi Māori engagement as members of te Iwi o Ngātiwai Minister I noted on Facebook today that te Poari o Ngātiwai our Iwi Trust Board made a post to remind the Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti that on 14 December a letter was furnished to the Minister outlining concerns around the smoke-free environments repeal to come. There's been no response received. But I believe another invitation is being extended to both Minister Reti and Minister Costello to attend a hui-ā-iwi with the people of Ngātiwai to discuss your plans and how you intend to protect Māori health outcomes and improve those outcomes for te Iwi o Ngātiwai and Māori people in general. I look forward to your responses kia ora.TAKUTAI TARSH KEMP (Te Pāti Māori—Tāmaki Makaurau): Tēnā koe Madam Chair. I want to take this opportunity as the first time being able to kōrero about such a sad day for Māori for Te Āo Māori today—knowing that we are in urgency and it's the only opportunity that we get to have to ask questions to the Associate Minister of Health the Hon Casey Costello and to the Government. I want to let the Minister know that our people are weeping today—that we haven't had the opportunity to kōrero to wānanga to share time to be able to reflect on the impact that these amendments to the legislation will have on our people. And our people want to ensure that their voices are being heard. And here those of us in Te Pāti Māori and Te Pāti Kākāriki and in Labour are those voices for our people. So it's only right that we get the opportunity to have a kōrero about the bill in its entirety.I want to provide some background. I was part of the—it was called MEEG the Māori Expert Advisory Group that actually wrote the alternative paper for the establishment of the Māori Health Authority which was then named Te Aka Whai Ora. I want to mihi to the experts that were on that panel—in particular Sharon Shea who was the chair who fought hard to ensure that we did establish the Māori Health Authority and Te Aka Whai Ora. Today I mihi to the panel and to that rōpū that fought hard for that. Why are we talking about that? Because it's all interrelated. The falling of Te Aka Whai Ora the amendments to the legislation—it's all impacting on Māori.I also want to share that when I was the CEO for Te Kaha o te Rangatahi in Manurewa we held a smoke-free contract. So I managed a smoke-free team. We fought very very hard to ensure that we reduced outlets that were selling cigarettes tobacco and vapes in our community. Why? Because it was about our mokopuna. It was the best decision for our tamariki. They were walking past outlets like all the way that they were going to school. If you don't know Manurewa well Manurewa has—on Great South Road it's a strip of shops like 250 metres long. Every second shop sold cigarettes. As a Māori health provider working alongside Hāpai te Hauora working alongside the Cancer Society we fought hard to ensure that those outlets reduced the selling of cigarettes—by closing down or they made different choices.Can I say there was a product—I don't know what you'd call it but it was called a "killer combo". Our kids were going to school every morning stopping at the local dairy to buy a killer combo. A killer combo was a pie a coke and a cigarette—all for $5. And we wanted to stop that. But this bill will ensure that outlets can continue to do that. You know in our communities they're not just selling packets of cigarettes; they're selling single cigarettes—alongside vaping mechanisms. That is the truth and the reality of the community that we're in. Our providers Māori health providers work hard to reduce that. We want our mokopuna to live. We want a better generation and a better future for our whānau for our mokopuna. So we have to stand up and continue to fight and to raise our voices.I have a question for you. Both bills that we've had for Māori over the last two days all talk about the iwi Māori partnership boards. What we never heard in that kōrero was an urban Māori voice. In Tāmaki-makau-rau there are 250000 Māori 80 percent of them do not belong to the iwi in Tāmaki-makau-rau. We are an urban population and their voice is missing. My question is: how will the Minister ensure that the urban Māori voice will be heard and will be at the decision-making table alongside iwi Māori?My other question is: how will the—CHAIRPERSON (Maureen Pugh): The member's time has expired."