SpeechHARETE HIPANGO (National): Thank you Madam Speaker. I stand as the National spokesperson for Māori development and as a member of the Māori Affairs Committee—and I glance over to my colleagues in the House. We have a very special culture that's there in the select committee and we will embrace this Māori Purposes Bill with purpose. I stand here making this call for the first reading which is endorsed by the National Party but it is also timely and appropriate that I have the opportunity to make acknowledgments to significant Māori who have contributed in this space in areas of law areas of practice administration and service addressed by the Māori Purposes Act previous Acts.One of those persons is kaumātua Neville Baker who died a few weeks ago on 14 November this year. Neville Baker is a former deputy secretary of the Department of Māori Affairs—Te Puni Kōkiri as it is known today. A former Māori trustee in recent years he was adviser to the Chief Ombudsman and the Minister for Children. As I'm acknowledging Neville Baker it's appropriate that that acknowledgment is with a measure of respect. He gave a lifetime of service a lifetime of purpose serving the Māori communities in the New Zealand nation.Before I also turn to the Māori Purposes Bill again it's appropriate to acknowledge those persons who continue to give service a lifetime of service. One is a former colleague who is now Justice Layne Harvey having been appointed to the High Court after 19 years' service as a District Court judge and many years as a practising lawyer again with purpose and service under the umbrella and ambit of the Māori Purposes Act and relevant legislation.Another is a servant of the public who has recently been appointed to the Office of the Children's Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers who served some 12 13 years on the Family Court bench many years as a lawyer. And significantly the three persons that I have paid acknowledgment and homage to are people who have given a lifetime of service and with purpose in this space.I now turn to the Māori Purposes Bill. Without a doubt the National Party and I as the spokesperson for Māori development have pleasure in saying that this bill is necessary. It's non-controversial it's not unusual and it is endorsed and supported for us to give further scrutiny at the Māori Affairs Committee. I was looking forward to an address from Minister Willie Jackson and I say that because Minister Jackson like his mother Dame June Jackson whom I used to work with back in the days of Ngā Whare Waatea in Māngere in the 1980s has given a lifetime of service in this space—again under the umbrella and ambit of what this bill is about.So as a National Party spokesperson as a Māori also giving service with purpose in this place of Parliament the bill aligns with National Party values recognising the Treaty of Waitangi as a founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand also recognising the value and the importance of private property rights. This bill addresses those matters.The Minister has detailed in the legislative statement what it covers. I'm just going to bring it back to a more simplistic approach. What is a Māori Purposes Bill and what legislation is being amended by this bill? It's called an omnibus bill because it is a number of bills that are going to be addressed under the umbrella under the blanket the kahu of this Māori Purposes Bill. So those pieces of legislation are Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 the Maori Purposes Act 1959 the Maori Trust Boards Act 1955 and the Maori Community Development Act 1962.Just in summary the main provisions of the amendments under the Māori Purposes Bill looking firstly at Te Ture Whenua Maori Act—the Minister has mentioned the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū Trust; that is a trust that comes from the area of Maniapoto—look at addressing the provisions for that hapū trust to continue to exist and exercise powers rights and duties in a manner that was consistent with their 1990 settlement of the Waitangi Tribunal claim No. 51 in relation to Waitomo caves.Moving on another Act to be addressed under this is the Maori Purposes Act 1959. The Minister has talked about Lake Rotoaira and the trust again being given the flexibility and the autonomy and the management of their taonga Lake Rotoaira and the management and exercise of rights associated with the lake and with the fisheries. The Maori Trust Boards Act is addressing bringing and updating administratively the management for trusts in the exercise of voting. So this bill will address the ability for electronic voting removing the Māori trust boards from the Cabinet Fees Framework so streamlining and providing for resignations of members of boards to be made in writing to the board rather than directly to the Minister. The Maori Community Development Act 1962 is to require the district Māori councils to provide a copy of audited financial statements directly to the New Zealand Māori Council rather than to the chief executive of the Ministry of Māori Development also known as Te Puni Kōkiri. I'm just going to share in terms of the Māori Community Development Act as I often tend to do when I stand to speak and a point of relevance in terms of contributional relationships. As a younger woman I served as the secretary of the Aotea Māori district council back in the 1980s. As secretary in that role it was important to ensure that there was accuracy in the recording of minutes and the knowledge and ensuring that that was relayed through to the senior body the parent body the New Zealand Māori Council. So I have experience in terms of the level of service and contribution under the blanket of Māori Purposes Act but specifically to the Maori Community Development Act 1962.So the key message is from the National Party and as spokesperson for Māori Development I referenced that as a member on the Māori Affairs Committee there is a particular culture where we do arrive there as members from our affiliate political parties but we serve there as members having given service those of us who are Māori in our communities and the significance of the purpose and the duty and the obligation that we have and how we conduct ourselves at that meeting place of the Māori Affairs Committee.This bill has an explanatory note and the members of the Māori Affairs Committee in the scrutiny of this bill we receive advice but actually we also give advice premised on what experience we bring to that table that select committee. It's our duty to scrutinise with responsibility with care and to particularise drawing on our skill sets because we do bring different lived experiences different skill sets and tools of our profession to apply that in the scrutiny.I'll curtail my first call speaking to this bill. I look forward to the contributions and to hearing the stories of the contributors those who submit at the Māori Affairs Committee because we will hear the relevance of how this Māori Purposes Bill will have impact and bearing on the communities that they come and represent. We will also share and disclose with a duty of care the importance of this Māori Purposes Bill coming back to the House ensuring that it is in the best possible form and service that it may give to the people who will benefit from it. I commend this first reading of this bill to the House.