Katene Rahui: New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Amendment Bill Crimes Amendment Bill (No 3) — Third Readings 
Katene Rahui: New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Amendment Bill Crimes Amendment Bill (No 3) — Third Readings 
[Volume:673;Page:19746] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker Robertson. Tena koe e te Whare. Rau rangatira ma tena koutou katoa. I stand on behalf of the Maori Party to take a brief call on the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Amendment Bill and the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 3). These bills are yet more in a long line of legislation that is preparing us for the Rugby World Cup. The legislation proposes that in order to support effective security operations we need to update the warrant framework to take into account the technological advances that have been made in the storage and communication of information. Law commissioner Dr Warren Young has apparently provided an independent analysis of the legislation and was satisfied that the need for change was warranted and that the amendments proposed in this legislation would provide the Security Intelligence Service with an opportunity to effectively undertake its statutory functions. 
I have to say that as a general principle the Maori Party has had concerns in the past in relation to the operations of New Zealand’s surveillance machinery as it impacts on Maori. There are of course the as yet unresolved concerns about the Urewera raids. The SIS has stated that it was not involved. It appears to have been brought into the issue because of a briefing on the raids it gave the then Leader of the Opposition John Key. 
In that fateful period in October 2007 more than 300 police raided alleged military-style training camps in the rugged Urewera ranges and homes in Auckland Ruatoki Palmerston North and Wellington. Later that month the SIS issued a rare public statement to dispel speculation that it had been involved in the police operation that culminated in the arrest of 17 alleged activists. In that release Dr Warren Tucker in his position as Director of Security advised that the SIS had no powers to enforce security such as arrest or detention and concluded that the operations were a police matter. But in his release Dr Tucker did not address the issue of whether the SIS may have been involved in the year-long surveillance operation that led to the raids so in Maori communities the question still remains unanswered. 
Other concerns date from some 7 years ago from a time around 2004 when there were allegations that the SIS had spied on members of the Maori Party and Maori organisations. An investigation by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security found that spying had not taken place. I make just a brief mention of this background as I think it is timely to consider two other events that have occurred in the last 2 days that also have a bearing on this legislation. The first of course is the historic agreement signed with Ngai Tuhoe at Mataatua Marae in Ruatahuna on Saturday. The signing signalled a landmark in the relationship between Tuhoe and the Government. I have to say it is humbling to see the generosity of spirit exhibited by a people who have endured such bitter twists and turns in their interactions with the Crown over the last century and more. 
The second key event of course is the claim that has been described as the most significant claim in a generation and that is Wai 262.  
Ko Aotearoa Tenei 
 is the Waitangi Tribunal’s report into that claim and it describes how key priorities in the preservation and transmission of Maori culture identity and knowledge should be shared between the Crown and Maori. I have to say that when it comes to the urgency accorded this legislation and any legislation paving the way for Rugby World Cup fever to take over our nation I am saddened that this most significant report was not considered worthy of the same urgency. Twenty years between the claim being made and the claim actually coming to report status is way too long. 
What better time than Maori Language Week to bring to the fore the place of Maori culture identity and traditional knowledge? In fact Rugby World Cup 2011 provides an excellent opportunity to use Maori language knowledge as New Zealand showcases itself on the world stage. In keeping with the Maori Language Week theme of manaakitanga this week provides us with an excellent opportunity to think about how we make people welcome when they are in our company and how we give regard to and care for others when hosting visitors. Manaakitanga is about keeping our visitors safe and secure but also it is about extending the hand of welcome by sharing Maori culture as integral to national culture and identity. 
We support the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Amendment Bill and the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 3) at their third readings and we look forward to the companion legislation promoting the status of matauranga Maori into our national agenda.