Tirikatene RinoRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker and thank you for the right to reply to conclude this debate. What a debate it has been. We have certainly canvassed a wide range of views around the House. But I am very proud of this bill. I am proud of being a sponsor of this bill and for the work of Environment Canterbury along with Ngāi Tahu to put back in place a proven successful arrangement. I am saddened but not surprised at the opposition from the National Party and the ACT Party. However I do want to respond to just a few points that were raised. Why is this a local bill? Well as I said in my speech this is a bespoke arrangement which is unique to Environment Canterbury cannot really be duplicated anywhere else beyond the South Island I would imagine because of the unique arrangement of having a single iwi which is the Treaty partner over such a vast geographic area which encompasses ECan—Environment Canterbury. So that's why it's a local bill. But it seeks to modify those pieces of legislation specifically for that region—that's why it's a local bill.We opposed the actions of the National Government at the time but we never opposed the appointment of mana whenua representatives to Environment Canterbury. In fact I signalled in one of my speeches I remember what will happen when the arrangement ends and how can we ensure that this endures and this is what we're doing right now. We're ensuring that the arrangement of Ngāi Tahu councillors endures through the passage of this local bill.I don't really want to go into the remarks around feudalism and the likes from the ACT Party suffice to say that the foundation of Aotearoa is built on a Treaty foundation built on the bicultural reach between the iwi between the chiefs and the Crown. That is the foundation and that is the guiding beacon which this bill actually represents because Ngāi Tahu representation—why? Because Ngāi Tahu is the Treaty partner. Ngāi Tahu aren't gaining any great advantage. They are only getting what the Treaty guarantees them and Environment Canterbury understands that. They have put that into this bill. It's been proven successful in the past and they're just reactivating it through the passage of this bill.I acknowledge the passion which the Hon Willie Jackson committed to this debate. He did actually cross the line and he was admonished for that and disciplined but I do acknowledge that you know he is a powerful advocate as the Minister for Māori Development. You will not take that out of Willie—Mr Jackson Mr Jackson. Hon Carmel Sepuloni: And you will always cross the line!RINO TIRIKATENE: Yes te rārangi toa—he stands that front line.But I want to acknowledge all of the contributions from around the House in particular Eugenie Sage an experienced former councillor on Environment Canterbury and I thank the Green Party for their support of this legislation. I acknowledge them and that they get it—they get it. We get it on this side of the House. Mr Brownlee yes I also recall from the last bill that we debated in this House—you know we didn't have the numbers on that day but I said to Mr Brownlee that we would be back. I said that like the big mountain Aoraki it stands tall and it endures. It stands tall in the day and in the night and we're back again looming large with this momentous bill and I'm really looking forward to it going to select committee getting full consideration and examination from members of the public who are welcome to submit. I thank the members of the Māori Affairs Committee who will be ushering the bill through that very important process. So I look forward to contributing into that process as well and I welcome Mr Doocey to do so as well.But this is a timely bill that we're looking to reactivate and I'm thoroughly excited that we can have this first reading and take it to the next step. I'm really looking forward to that and so I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou.