Mahuta Nanaia: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMahuta Nanaia: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 19 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:8345. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato): I too want to support the third reading of the bill and make a couple of brief contributions. I commented in previous parts of the passage of this bill on the issue of extending the membership so I do not intend to significantly go over that ground. I want to acknowledge the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee Nuk Korako who stewarded through the discussions on this bill in a very fair way. We had only one significant discussion which was around the extension of the memberships but it was also around the pending review that the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage should take with regard to the future role and function of the trust.I also for those who are listening carefully to this debate want to acknowledge the current chair of the Waitangi National Trust Board Pita Paraone who at the very onset had declared his conflict of interest. He had not weighed down one might say any of the consideration of the committee when it came to some substantial issues. Firstly the issue around the rotation and the term of members on the board—notwithstanding some personal views that he may have held he enabled the discussion to be fully had around a three-term membership for 3 years and the pros and cons of that. The second issue was specifically in relation to extending the membership on the board of those whānau members. Again as chair he may have had personal views but he stood somewhat back from the discussion so that all committee members could consider on merit whether or not there was a justified reason to be able to urge the Minister to change the legislation in favour of that. I make that point because it is difficult as a serving member of Parliament to take yourself out of the discussion and provide some wisdom and some support to members when they are considering significant things. Nō reira tēnei te mihi atu ki a koe[and so I acknowledge you].The other point that I would raise in the third reading is the impending review. In fact the committee was at pains to ensure that the Minister was going to give some urgency to a future continued review of the role and function of the trust board. The trust board itself presented a submission to the committee that really put in context the type of modernisation and parameters that needed to be considered in terms of its future role and function most of which have been covered by my colleague Peeni Henare in terms of the future role of the trust board. It asked that consideration be given to the way in which its business activities are carried out but also to its bylaw-making powers and the penalties that stem from those particular provisions.If I could say one thing in this third reading it is there is still a need to review the operating parameters of the trust board so that the more extended roles and functions that the trust board can have for the future operation of Waitangi can continue apace. If you look yourself at the website of the trust board you will see that it is modernising the look and feel of this significant site on our behalf—on the nation’s behalf. There is an education component that occurs at Waitangi where young people can go up to Waitangi for an out-of-classroom integrated curriculum experience. That is a good thing for all of us because people get to learn about the Treaty in situ. They also get to appreciate the contribution of the Treaty to the national identity of our country. It is I think the ongoing future role that the trust board will play in this space that will improve our relations within this country but also so that future generations can inherit a very proud history that we have albeit chequered at parts along the way.The other part that you will notice on the website is the collaborations that have occurred in order to promote the Treaty of Waitangi but also to make more accessible the role of the Treaty in a modern context as it links to our historical foundations. In 2013 in partnership with Westpac Banking Corporation and at the same time that the fund was launched to invest in renewing the museum a film competition was promoted amongst young people. These are the types of collaborations that the board in its foresight saw as necessary to advance the contribution of this estate to the public consciousness and education about what Waitangi is all about as a place its historical connections and the Treaty of Waitangi. They are all other aspects that people may not be aware of and this speaks to the business end of the role and function of the trust board. Not only is this a place to visit—and it is a significant tourist attraction destination for domestic and international travellers—it is also a place that is available for venue hire for those very special occasions and I am sure there have been many there.The forestry estate—in the first reading and the Committee stage of this bill a number of members made comment that the forestry estate gifted by the Bledisloes in 1932 should remain an inherent part of the trust board property. In fact I went back to my first contribution and I had mentioned that one of my concerns was that in the context of Treaty settlements that are occurring certainly in the north it is my great hope that the forestry estate remain intact with the purpose of the gift of the Bledisloes and managed by the trust board. That will be the case. We certainly explored that to some extent and that was confirmed.Other aspects that we did not comment on at all—and I did not want to cover ground that had been covered by my colleagues previously—was the fact that the Official Information Act and the Public Audit Act applies to this bill as it did previously. I think that is an important aspect of ensuring public confidence in the work and the decisions of the Waitangi National Trust Board. Again albeit the trust board will manage its own affairs through its own income it is still publicly accessible in terms of the decision-making process. People might not be fully aware of some of the smaller intricacies of the Act—and I am sure there will be a colleague who is sitting not far away from me who will be able to inform us in time and in due course about whether or not these are very real issues going forward.It is around the bylaw-making powers. The trust board at present can make by-laws and cannot impose a fine more than $250 for an offence. At some point in time once the review continues and those bylaw-making powers are properly reviewed the penalty regime may need to be reconsidered as well. That is a matter that will legitimately go to the Regulations Review Committee. There will be ample opportunity to consider the range of penalties that may need to be considered within a modern context but let us take for example the issue of access and the closed roads that are able to be managed by the trust board that is currently in place. If access provisions come up in the future who knows what some of the challenges might be?I will reserve those types of comments for when the review takes place but it is important to mention it in a third reading speech because my final comment is to the Minister and that is to urge a review of the full operations of the Waitangi National Trust Board so that it can operate in a modern context for the future benefit of and contribution to all New Zealanders so that we can celebrate not only Te Tiriti o Waitangi but the contribution of a significant historic place that all New Zealanders should be very very proud of. Kia ora koutou.