Davidson MaramaMARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green): The Greens strongly support the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill. One thing is for sure: an agreement in this House on this bill is that we all love land. That's why so much of it was taken off tangata whenua and was benefited off for over 100 years when it was taken off us.This bill is to correct a long injustice a long injustice that should never have been in place in the first place. This is to make sure that unused lands are unrateable to be able to wipe out land rates arrears that have built up over time for pieces of landlocked land for pieces of unusable land that whānau have not been able to engage with. This bill is going to ensure that like other general conservation lands Māori Rahui kawenata lands can also be considered non-rateable like other general conservation lands have been considered to this point.This bill is about putting right something that has been long wrong and the speeches from the Opposition that like to pit a group against other New Zealand communities and groups when we are about correcting justice is an immature approach to making law and it is an immature approach to politics and it's not even real. Some Māori are farmers. Many Māori are ratepayers. The Opposition likes to section out communities as if there is no relationship and no benefit from uplifting a particular group—in this case Māori land owners. Trying to minimise the value of uplifting Māori land owners being able to engage with their land as if it has no other value for the rest of our country for their local communities is simply an immature attempt at pitting groups of people against each other. I'm disappointed that that's the approach that is being taken by the Opposition tonight. So I am not going to take that approach. I am going to uphold the values of what this bill is trying to achieve and not on its own. The Minister was very clear in her opening speech tonight that this bill of making rates fairer and equitable for Māori land owners sits in conjunction with a whole raft of changes which at the core are about affirming and retaining Māori land for Māori whānau and hapū. It includes the provincial funding projects that are going around the provinces for people to be able to initiate projects on their land. It includes a whole raft of visions and aspirations and this bill is one important part of it. If people were listening in the House tonight they would have heard that loud and clear. The questions that the Opposition are getting up to ask have already been answered. Realising that we will all benefit when we remove barriers for Māori to be able to use their land is good for all of us. Another principle that I am actually open to hearing about: how do we make sure that local authorities and local councils are able to run and do their core business as local governments? That again is another scaremongering tactic by the Opposition as if making things right for Māori land owners is going to deny local councils the ability to run their core business. How dare we think of that approach in this House when upholding justice. How dare we scaremonger the threat—an untrue threat a dishonest threat—to the rest of us when we are trying to put something right that has been wrong for a long time. Another question arose from the Opposition: how is this going to actually benefit Māori land owners? For far too long Māori have not even felt that they have been able to approach local authorities with proposals and engage in ideas and initiatives for developing land and using land because of the rates arrears that have built up over many many years. Removing that stigma and the real fiscal arrears absolutely is going to make it easier for Māori land owners to engage with their land. That is the prime obvious point of this very bill. Sometimes I wonder if they are just running out of things to talk about in their speeches because all of these questions have been canvassed steadily through the course of the speeches here in this House in this introduction of the first reading.I agree that I want to see this bill get its passage into the select committee so that we can start having these valid debates so I am going to keep my speech not as long as I would initially have wanted. But I just want to end on making sure that we correct this injustice. For over 100 years this law and the unequal process of rating Māori land has been neglected—for over 100 years. Tonight is the beginning of correcting that and amending that.Making sure that Māori can thrive and contribute and engage and participate in our own lands is absolutely good for all of us. So I'm very proud to support this the first reading of the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill and we look forward to seeing it through to its passage.