"\u003C!DOCTYPE html\u003E\u003Chtml xmlns:xlink=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\u0022 xmlns:xsi=\u0022http://www.w3.org/2007/XMLSchema-instance\u0022 xmlns:mml=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Chead\u003E\n    \u003CMETA http-equiv=\u0022Content-Type\u0022 content=\u0022text/html; charset=utf-16\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cmeta name=\u0022viewport\u0022 content=\u0022width=device-width, initial-scale=1\u0022\u003E\n  \u003C/head\u003E\n  \u003Cbody style=\u0022font-family:sans-serif; font-size:100%;\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022eb434f962fda45759a8657084419cb2a\u0022\u003ETUESDAY, 14 MARCH 2017\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220c7db9bb97bf4f519fb478f00367488a\u0022\u003ETUESDAY, 14 MARCH 2017\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000002\u0022\u003EMr Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000004\u0022\u003EPrayers.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00226977255d797e4cd19540398693a11b7d\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b6b1c282e0fa48d0b37772dc8ce04246\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bfaee327a2e144de871ccfdf3be97a5a\u0022\u003EHousing\u2014Affordability and Minister\u2019s Performance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022562b0764496b4226abed7f350ed4c6e7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022562b0764496b4226abed7f350ed4c6e7\u0022\u003EANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that \u201CNick Smith has dealt with some of the most complex problems of resource law and housing more successfully than any other politician here could have\u201D; if so, in what ways, if any, does he think the housing situation for New Zealanders has improved under Hon Nick Smith?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u0022ecdc85721f1e4e73b4f7da33444adad5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ecdc85721f1e4e73b4f7da33444adad5\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Acting Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, because the Government has a comprehensive programme to increase housing supply, and it is working.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002225cf61ae47484cf6b81c5f58f52ee9f0\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Have housing costs as a share of family incomes risen or fallen under National and Nick Smith?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e16496283f0b4941880c69687ec79966\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: It depends on how you measure it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2ec690ba0934013a86a3989bb98dd7f\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table the household expenditure survey report showing the share of household incomes spent on housing is at the highest level since the survey began, in 2007.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u0022cde64d0a0b5a4e9f933ca4ec77733f7f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cde64d0a0b5a4e9f933ca4ec77733f7f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: On the basis of the way the question was answered, I am going to put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022abd945ecfbba43b4ab5ce9078f08f157\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: When his Government\u2019s own housing expenditure survey shows increased housing costs were 94 percent of households\u2019 income increase, leaving them only $2 a week for other costs, does he now accept that housing is eating up what small pay increases some families are getting?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef1d6ad385904e9b9138fb8dda096335\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: There can be no doubt that we have seen\u2014particularly in the Auckland area but in other areas as well\u2014housing prices increase over recent years, although in recent months we have seen an easing of that. The last quarterly report is actually saying that as well: that we are seeing that slowdown. Equally, with those who are renting, we are seeing a bit of pressure there, but that is why we have such a comprehensive programme that is making sure we have got the land supply that is available and that is also making sure those houses are being built.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fcba9bdf4d9f4e5b87d9108aa93a9b80\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: How does he think it feels for the typical family to work hard but to see their income rise by just $2 a week after paying for skyrocketing housing costs?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225ba31b3c815d4ab5b2c32a364802992d\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I will have to check on the $2 a week because the member is not known for getting his numbers right. But at the end of the day, what they are seeing is a Government that is working hard for them, actually addressing the complex issues around housing supply\u2014that have not been addressed for decades, quite frankly\u2014and making sure that we have got an increase. We have seen the biggest number of building consents that we have ever seen\u2014literally up 30,000 now, and from 10,000 just a few short years ago. That is what is going to make a fundamental difference.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f05ebe06167848189ff01c0ca2b6554f\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: How can he pretend everything is fine when research published in the latest Economist, a periodical, shows New Zealand now has the most unaffordable housing in the developed world?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff85852e816b46429a1ec5dfe429f536\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: We have got the largest sustained building boom ever, with residential building activity at an all-time high. Building consents are more than double what they were 5 years ago, we have got more than 200 special housing areas that have been done, we have got the National Policy Statement on Urban Development capacity that is making a difference, and we have got the Crown land programme. I saw just the other day that the Hon Amy Adams and the Prime Minister went and opened the Luke Street development, where we saw 43 houses built in a matter of weeks, actually. We have got more than 20,000 people who are getting the HomeStart loans. There is a lot happening in this area, and it is making a difference.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b6fd268dc764128a4bbf73287d1fda8\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: From the Government\u2019s answers, can we assume that with a 40,000-plus house shortage and thousands who are living in degradation when it comes to accommodation it is not the case that the quote should be: \u201CNick Smith has dealt with some of the most complex problems of resource law and housing more successfully than any other National politician could have.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210c27c79d4cf4afc8cddda68c65d61c5\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I repeat that it is around land supply and the number of houses that are being built. We have seen the number of building consents double in just the last 5 years, and, fundamentally, it is about those places being built that people can move into. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a2e74d7f01bc4ea7826630c5adea2219\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: What does he say to Kristin of Henderson, who wrote to me to say \u201CI will never earn enough as a full-time teacher to afford a mortgage.\u201D, and is it really fair that a full-time teacher in this country cannot afford her own home?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b530ae77f7648cdad5c0235e7a3f383\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I would say that that is not true, and that with the help from the HomeStart loans, and, equally, just in my own electorate of Hobsonville Point, we are seeing houses being built there at $460,000\u2014there are some like that, and there are opportunities for teachers like her.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251191eff00a94c47857e95e5fd56af4a\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Just how far off the tracks are we when the dreams of hard-working Kiwis in well-paying jobs are being crushed by rising house prices and rents, and when are we going to see real leadership and a real plan to restore the Kiwi dream of homeownership?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c0ac1a3fc5964e86862f836a198a381e\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: What we are seeing is a comprehensive plan on housing that reaches across increased building consent, land supply, and urban development, and the construction sector at the moment is absolutely booming and about where it is. I find it ironic that a party that labelled people with foreign-sounding names as the problem wants now to bring them over to build people houses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022113fd25816d04aa785af4df05c0aeb74\u0022\u003EMetiria Turei\u003C/span\u003E: Is he proud that New Zealand tops every category of housing unaffordability in The Economist magazine?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002289d502d7957244cfa9baf03d2b046556\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I am proud of a lot of things. I am proud that we have doubled the building consents, I am proud that we are opening up Crown land for houses, and I am proud that we are able to have HomeStart loans, which means there is access for those who cannot save for the deposit. Those are the kinds of things I am proud of.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220fa9c1f6f1944279970d1d0c5c8f14e7\u0022\u003EMetiria Turei\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Government invest more in building affordable homes now that the Aussie banks are putting the squeeze on Kiwi developers, proving that the market will not solve this housing crisis by itself?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b3700aa95ed47f6a4b69acb0202f52b\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: What we have seen the market do in just the last 2 or 3 months is actually slow down and housing prices get a bit more affordable. So I would expect to see a bit of a correction, personally, and that will mean what we were also seeing just this morning. I was looking at the houses that are being built in Hobsonville Point\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002202f8492b882f4620b6f356e89b9881f4\u0022\u003EMetiria Turei\u003C/span\u003E: On TradeMe?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fbf9922460324fbdbcef70f86e559c29\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I was actually looking at the TV, and there they are building them at $460,000. There are more apartments coming up. There are more opportunities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210d4f23eb9e04622b1b127f8fac7bf11\u0022\u003EMetiria Turei\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Prime Minister worried by reports from the Ministry of Education that hundreds of teachers are being driven out of Auckland by unaffordable rents and house prices; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002241e03e3c931a434fa2710e287921ec27\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I was speaking to the Minister of Education the other day, and she was saying that, actually, the vacancies in Auckland are relatively low and that they are not seeing the numbers move out that are sometimes reported on without the evidence behind them. But I would say that one needs to be really careful when one starts going there, because I do not think a teacher in Auckland is, necessarily, worth more than a teacher in T\u016Brangi or in Gore, for example.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9a51f43751d4d75b7c031417bfed5fe\u0022\u003EMetiria Turei\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which also rated New Zealand as the No. 1 least-affordable place to buy a home in the world, that a capital gains tax would help to rebalance our economy and to fix the housing market; if he does not agree with the IMF, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272b13c135b484fd4bba2385c8b6cf6b9\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I probably do not agree with the member\u2019s interpretation of what the IMF said, but what I would say is that we are doing more for home affordability for all New Zealanders than has been done in decades. That means making sure that more homes are being built. More than 20,000 people have accessed HomeStart loans, and that means they get that help with the deposit so that they can get into homes. We are also seeing, I think, a bit of a correction recently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ea120092ed947c4be8a5453af6f9c7d\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Given international experts saying this is the highest-price market and the most difficult market in the world to be in now, how does she think she is going to get away with statements like: \u201CWe have been working on affordability, and it\u2019s improving.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022adea964f54fc4f36a1614a0cae9a0a10\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Because, in a lot of cases, the houses are cheaper today than they were 2 months ago.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222d9bb4f7425d49dfb73d8c9bdb4ff989\u0022\u003EPublic Services\u2014Productivity and Support for Businesses\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022 data-id=\u0022fb403f6323384973892ce9c860e59283\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fb403f6323384973892ce9c860e59283\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What steps is the Government taking to improve productivity in the public service?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022 data-id=\u0022b4855864782947d79646624900ec7f29\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b4855864782947d79646624900ec7f29\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E The public sector cost New Zealand around $74 billion last year. For this we received many products and services that help New Zealanders lead successful independent lives. But we do need to constantly work to increase the productivity of the Public Service and develop new and better ways of helping people. One of the key ways\u2014and we are doing that in the upcoming Budget\u2014is delivering better public services for our growing country, accommodating demand pressures where they exist, but also ensuring we get a measurable additional productivity benefit for any investment we make.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4256c07c29944609db64598ea965e02\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: What progress is the Government making to improve outcomes for New Zealanders who need Government services and support?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ddbb0d3430e54f4880d04055d54ad190\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: As part of this programme to improve productivity, Ministers yesterday reported on their Better Public Services results and the improvements they are making to the lives of New Zealanders. More young people are getting education and qualifications to help them get jobs. Fewer children are getting rheumatic fever or being physically abused. There is less crime in our communities and more people are getting into work and off benefits. There is more to do, but these are real improvements that are making a real difference to real New Zealanders. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224544b294d0db4d1f9b120f00b5391806\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! As I have said on many occasions, I do not mind some level of interjection, but when it becomes as loud as it was towards the end of that question, then I am left with no choice but to deal with it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225169f6eb4bee44668ffeb7a3290163e8\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Are all of the Government\u2019s Better Public Services targets on track?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022718e8ecb2d5c41e7810376781b54598e\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: Across the 10 results, there are 11 targets. Seven of them are on track to be achieved in the time frame sought. The remaining four are still making progress but will need more work. These 11 targets are deliberately set to be challenging, otherwise there would be no point in doing it. Although not every result has yet been achieved, there has been significant progress for each target that we have set. In order to keep driving progress, the Government will be considering new methods for tackling individual challenges and continuing to challenge the Public Service to think differently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022651e737458954b149977bc7c63957c68\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: How is improving Public Service productivity helping businesses be more efficient? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022490bf2bc31394d4aab84b34068ce7f5c\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: The Better Public Services targets include a target to make it easier for business to interact with the Government. A good example of this work is the IRD\u2019s Business Transformation project. As of just a short time ago, small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are now able to not only register for GST online but also prepare and amend their returns and pay their GST directly. SMEs can even pay their GST directly now off the back of their accounting software. All this is estimated to reduce the time that small and medium sized businesses spend on their GST returns by one-third. Already, 4,000 SMEs have reported the new system is saving them substantial time each month. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002221c7c060f6ca4ac2a8f3eaf228188cdf\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! It would be a great pity if the member was not here to ask his question later on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229a985e8f007f46f89bb3508bd5849e86\u0022\u003EHealth Services\u2014Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022 data-id=\u002255a6a2e2012d48f2b77dffc57bf0abae\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002255a6a2e2012d48f2b77dffc57bf0abae\u0022\u003EMARAMA FOX (Co-Leader\u2014M\u0101ori Party)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: Does he agree with counsellor Andrew Hopgood, regarding P addicts, that \u201C\u2026 a lack of detox and live-in rehabilitation centres limits options for addicts seeking help\u201D; if so, what is he doing to address this shortage?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022 data-id=\u00220b907c8511284ca899ad54f2432d9bad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220b907c8511284ca899ad54f2432d9bad\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E Methamphetamine is an ongoing problem, and, unfortunately, New Zealand has one of the highest rates of P usage in the world. With regard to Mr Hopgood\u2019s comments, there is ongoing pressure on facilities, but that is why the Government is driving the Tackling Methamphetamine Action Plan, which so far has invested $31 million in anti-drug programmes funded from the proceeds of crime Act. The most recent funding allocation, last October, included $8.7 million on a range of health initiatives, including treatment facilities, as well as funding more innovative ways for police to work with health services in order to reduce demand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002239f541ede3694a61abe2389694d2236b\u0022\u003EMarama Fox\u003C/span\u003E: What is he doing to address the reports of a chronic shortage of live-in rehabilitation centres in the regions, specifically regions like Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ce1cc06fea634776aec4e1d649f9dea0\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: I am not sure that there is a chronic shortage in those regions, but it is important to note that there are different treatment options that may be available\u2014not just live-in rehabilitation. Most people will receive help through intensive outpatient services provided by the district health board provider arms and NGOs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd896508b1d242a388d8a6fc921ece50\u0022\u003EMarama Fox\u003C/span\u003E: Given the Government\u2019s investment approach, is he concerned that the Hauora addictions programme, which has had a successful programme evaluation in 2016 has not been allocated any further funding from the Ministry of Health; if so, what is he going to do about it? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e70b34b3525241a5bbbffe66bbef813d\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: I am aware of this, and I am advised that officials are considering future options for the programme and the delivery of those outcomes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c930326d7b764d1baebdb2184d80ea9d\u0022\u003ERegional Economic Development\u2014Tair\u0101whiti Economic Action Plan\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cc9c47c0-4409-44ca-ad2f-498707f27d69\u0022 data-id=\u00228f671e9e66ec4f48b23b449f945ca082\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc9c47c0-4409-44ca-ad2f-498707f27d69\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228f671e9e66ec4f48b23b449f945ca082\u0022\u003EJONATHAN YOUNG (National\u2014New Plymouth)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Economic Development: What update can he give on ways the Government is supporting economic development in the Gisborne region?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u00227fc4700db4f144c08f52912857bf9888\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227fc4700db4f144c08f52912857bf9888\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister for Economic Development):\u003C/span\u003E Well, a couple of weeks ago, alongside a number of ministerial colleagues, I released the Tair\u0101whiti Economic Action Plan. This plan is a shared one between the Government and people of Tai R\u0101whiti to increase the region\u2019s economic development. It will provide opportunities to grow the region\u2019s potential, reduce unemployment, and attract visitors and investment to the region. The plan is linked to, and was launched alongside, the Tair\u0101whiti M\u0101ori Economic Development Report, which focuses on a M\u0101ori economic perspective, and I acknowledge Te Ururoa Flavell\u2019s role in that. The dual launch demonstrates the strength in our regions and that M\u0101ori have a critical role to play in boosting economic growth. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc9c47c0-4409-44ca-ad2f-498707f27d69\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf3dd982966245f887e4254cbc6c27ed\u0022\u003EJonathan Young\u003C/span\u003E: What economic opportunities for the Gisborne region does the action plan identify? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d62d3b4be924f2fb4a598fb725b0aa4\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: The economic action plan sets out many opportunities actually identified by the region and represents its priorities for the next 5 years. The plan focuses on adding value in sectors like m\u0101nuka honey, wood processing, and increasing production through irrigation. The plan also supports growing Tai R\u0101whiti tourism to attract the expected rise in the number of tourists visiting the region. The action plan also provides new funding to grow the skills and capability of Tai R\u0101whiti\u2019s regional labour force\u2014including youth\u2014so it better supports the region\u2019s businesses to really grow. To support future growth, the Government will also upgrade State highways and improve digital connection to enable better access to markets and to make the region much more accessible for the many tourists who want to visit. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227bea43f7dad64bb49c1df848497e39fb\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: Why has there been no action to support the people and businesses in the Gisborne area by reopening the important closed section of the Gisborne to Napier railway between Gisborne and Wairoa? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b84b7e202fc14debabaee303ac92b398\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: The member shows quite clearly that he does not even follow the papers, let alone visit Gisborne\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002204ef795b86734d4c8cff022a7ca62a4e\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Under Standing Order 386, the Minister is required to be concise and not to refer to anything required other than answer the question. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224356bd8cb8b645a5a3011573401fef44\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member is partly right. But on this occasion, throughout the question, his own colleagues kept interjecting and yelling at the Minister while the question was being asked. If the members could cooperate with Mr O\u2019Rourke while he is asking his questions, that would make it easier. I will now ask the Minister to complete his answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227c48d05720f1400f8c330409aa19713d\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. If your ears were so acute as to hear what members on this side were saying, how come Mr Joyce was not heard interjecting the whole way through the question being asked? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022da155000524042948c2e7f819ba8c684\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Because I did not hear Mr Joyce, but I certainly\u2014[Interruption] Order! My patience will not last a lot longer with some members who have continued to interject\u2014[Interruption] Order! My patience might dissipate very, very quickly. There was a large barrage of interjection coming. I could not identify from which members, but I would say it was many of the members. I have dealt with the matter. Mr O\u2019Rourke is right to expect his question to now be addressed. But if it is infiltrated with a lot of interjection while the question is being delivered, it certainly gives more licence to the Minister when he answers his question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b4ad91852b34c2e89cd15496ea7abb8\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: What the member will find in the region is, in fact, part of that rail line is subject to commercial work, and we have seen a deal done there between commercial parties and KiwiRail in relation to the transfer of logs. The other part is subject to a commercial tender going on right at the moment. What is also true\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf1de06f6d3640729de1ffe9dd5b3418\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My colleague specifically asked about the Gisborne to Wairoa connection of the Gisborne to Napier line. He is talking about the Wairoa to Napier connection, and getting it all wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a2abe5a8b1eb41a987e11963731dc098\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I will listen more carefully to the answer. Does the Minister wish to add anything to the answer?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a64836b67d2f4d3e832f2c27974fd033\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: No. [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ee8f991c331436a9cbb37c1e586a969\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Mr Mark and Mr Peters, you have continued to interject most of the way through question time. If either of you interject again through the balance of question time, I will be asking you to leave.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227c0f05ec1eb44a31a792fc0a2482c797\u0022\u003ESchools, Buildings\u2014Temporary Classrooms\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u00225ad85c27dce7479a82459973142c8046\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225ad85c27dce7479a82459973142c8046\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS (Labour\u2014Rimutaka)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Education: How many schools across the country are currently using libraries, halls, and other areas not intended for regular teaching as temporary classrooms?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022 data-id=\u0022fb3e1e51a9d24ad49ccdc1684825887e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fb3e1e51a9d24ad49ccdc1684825887e\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE (Associate Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E It is not possible to give a specific figure, because schools regularly change how they use space and do not update the ministry when this occurs. There are more than 30,000 teaching spaces across New Zealand. What I can tell the member is that every school receives property entitlement funding based on its roll, and it is then up to them as to how they choose to use that space. There are a range of reasons why some schools may be choosing to do this, including taking out-of-zone students, choosing not to take relocatable classrooms when redevelopment work occurs, or actively using some of the spaces as curriculum spaces.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bda87f89e5294cada92930aa13232b1f\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Is a caravan a suitable substitute for a real classroom; if so, will this year\u2019s Budget include funding for hundreds of caravans, to finally, after more than 8 years, get ahead of demand and address ballooning class sizes throughout the country?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c745e541e484afbb9942d8d34b43cdf\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: The answer to the second part of the question is no. But what I can tell the member is that under this Government we have spent a third more on school property\u2014$1.5 billion more\u2014than the last Government. We have spent $850 million on school expansions and more than hundreds of millions of dollars on roll growth classrooms.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277333e3c-5658-4149-9cad-262a0deed378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226dc53a8a84e047e585c1dae52f5b0977\u0022\u003ETodd Barclay\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has the Minister previously received on the state of school property?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022209b4746e4b943549d77d499408a73e2\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: I am advised that when we came into Government the average age of New Zealand school buildings exceeded 40 years. I am also advised that the school property portfolio had a $1 billion leaky building problem. Since then, we have spent a third more on school property funding. We have spent more than $850 million on new schools and expansions, and hundreds of millions of dollars on new teaching spaces. This Government is proud of its record of investing in school property.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272f1ba3c80184c9ca6d41fc5cf79bcab\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Given that detailed assessment, how many schools, as of today, do not have enough classrooms to accommodate the students whom they currently have enrolled?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f1e9a38339a143de994e587414784408\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: I answered that in the primary question\u2014that we do not keep specific numbers. But what I can tell the member is that we do two things: one is we update school property funding, as per school property entitlement; and, secondly, we add a number of roll growth classrooms, either through conversations with the school or through amending their enrolment zone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002277333e3c-5658-4149-9cad-262a0deed378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d9ade56005ed47f68ac517dccefc85c7\u0022\u003ETodd Barclay\u003C/span\u003E: What recent announcements has she made to address roll growth in Auckland and Queenstown?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002281fd8dfdea9d423aae5144cfe17a6adf\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: Since Budget 2016 this Government has announced significant investment. In Auckland, around $160 million was announced. That includes $19 million for a new primary school in Hingaia South, $7.3 million to expand Ormiston Primary School, $18 million for new roll growth classrooms and replacement classrooms, and $17 million for new roll growth classrooms. In Queenstown, $38 million was announced: $25 million for Wakatipu High School, $11 million to redevelop an Arrowtown primary, and $2.8 million for eight roll growth classrooms.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286bf3cb443374010b96743f558013c25\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Is she telling New Zealanders that despite the detailed assessments of school property that her Government has completed, she does not know how many classrooms short current schools are, given the number of students they currently have?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222bba43dd95db4eba9326f625ec60cc0e\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: No, I am not telling New Zealand that. As I have already explained, it is up to schools as to how they use their teaching spaces. Some schools have larger classes; they choose to teach in a different environment. Other schools use teaching spaces in different ways. We do keep figures around additional roll growth classrooms. What I can tell the member is that if he is trying to run an argument that we do not invest enough in roll growth, the utilisation figures do not support that and this Government\u2019s spend does not support that. The member is just cherry-picking particular situations, and he does not actually understand the bigger picture. [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a69202167e1e441494efb0617bf66d36\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Mr Brownlee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022018a5df15551429094319ef929313a19\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: What does she say to Berhampore School principal Mark Potter, whose school is about 60 students over its 240-student capacity, and who has had to lose school resource rooms and the library to accommodate extra student growth?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e136ba4610d44a50a3bfa93b0c54feb6\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: We are always happy to look at individual situations, but what I would say to the member, without knowing the individual situation around Berhampore, is that sometimes it is the case that schools have taken out-of-zone children. That is sometimes the situation. Sometimes we also have fluctuations in numbers. What I can tell the member is that in 2011-12 we had an overall drop of student numbers, and now we are seeing a number of New Zealanders choosing not to leave, because of this National Government\u2019s great plan from an economic perspective. So numbers do fluctuate, and we are happy to add roll growth classrooms where it makes sense.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a85310ebe6774c699cc1144b2412051c\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: When she said in 2015 \u201CWe\u2019re absolutely going to get ahead of demand\u201D for additional classrooms, did she mean by forcing schools to convert libraries, halls, gymnasiums, dental clinics, staffrooms, and caravans for use as classrooms; if not, why is that happening?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022421ee37ebbdc4816b70174b730402c89\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: No. What I can tell the member is that back in 2008, when Labour was in Government, some schools did use those spaces for teaching the curriculum. That has always happened. What I can tell the member is that we are absolutely getting ahead of growth, because we spent more than $850 million on expansions and we have got tranches of roll growth classrooms happening all across New Zealand. The utilisation figures do not support the member\u2019s argument; nor does the spend that we are spending.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a1962839777a43b683595dcab55871b1\u0022\u003EAnti - money-laundering Measures\u2014Legislative Reform\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022 data-id=\u00225769354a6bd84bde877227b7b9c08e8b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225769354a6bd84bde877227b7b9c08e8b\u0022\u003EANDREW BAYLY (National\u2014Hunua)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Justice: What recent announcements has she made regarding phase two of the anti - money-laundering and counter-financing of terrorism regime?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022 data-id=\u0022cf19f5d1dc0d468eb625b28c11a030ba\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cf19f5d1dc0d468eb625b28c11a030ba\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E Yesterday I introduced legislation into Parliament to bring lawyers, conveyancers, accountants, real estate agents, and sports and racing betting into the anti - money-laundering regime after the Government fast tracked implementation last year. Additionally, businesses that deal in certain high-value goods, including motor vehicles, jewellery, and art, will also be covered under the legislation when they accept large cash transactions. Following the release of the exposure draft late last year in consultation with affected sectors, the bill aims to strike the right balance between combating crime, minimising the cost of compliance, and protecting our international reputation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1e24d82073d4b13aa7e05b0e39178d0\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: How will the proposed phase two regime impact New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287fa31f7bcf242cfa8596af2bfc62774\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS\u003C/span\u003E: Once in place, the new regime will affect both the sectors covered and the New Zealanders who interact with them. For example, when people are buying or selling property; setting up trusts; buying cars, boats, art, or jewellery with large amounts of cash; or having an accountant manage funds for them they will need to provide proof of identification and address. In some cases, they may also need to provide information about the source of the funds and beneficial ownership. The affected sectors will also need full risk assessment and compliance programmes, and will be obliged to report suspicious activities. Although this will mean extra cost, the new regime is seen as an essential tool in the fight against money-laundering and terrorist financing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229d0bf49a994942edb84f10910391c60a\u0022\u003EDrinking-water Supplies\u2014Bottled Water Exports\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022 data-id=\u002237ae5bffaae243e6b6bbaa3dabdc76f1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002237ae5bffaae243e6b6bbaa3dabdc76f1\u0022\u003ECATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for the Environment: Will he put a moratorium on bottled water exports, in response to a 15,000 strong petition and nationwide rallies on water issues taking place today?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u0022b4960a8edb934ca5ae77afde1775edd3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b4960a8edb934ca5ae77afde1775edd3\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment):\u003C/span\u003E No. Bottled water exports last year totalled 9 million litres out of New Zealand\u2019s annual water resource of 500 trillion litres. It amounts to 1 litre being exported in over 50 million, or 0.000002 percent. A moratorium on bottled water exports to address water shortages makes about as much sense as a moratorium on tricycles to solve New Zealand\u2019s traffic problems.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c57cd9565d34e6e8ea44a635729f8e9\u0022\u003ECatherine Delahunty\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you for mansplaining. Is there a contradiction in areas such as Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002208e64a6ec3204cafbb1526022ddf53de\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! I did not hear the start, but there clearly was one that caused my right-hand side to then erupt. The member will start the question again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bab82570491b40d98f2975c1ececbc59\u0022\u003ECatherine Delahunty\u003C/span\u003E: Certainly, Mr Speaker. Is there a contradiction in areas such as Hawke\u2019s Bay and Canterbury, where people have had to buy bottled water to ensure what they give their children is safe, essentially paying a private company for what should be free and available to them?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227eb0f32b1163427bb07b37848b230ca8\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Whether you look at the water issues in Canterbury or Hawke\u2019s Bay, the amount of water that is taken for bottled water exports is so minuscule that it is absolutely irrelevant to any sensible discussion about improving New Zealand\u2019s water management. There are issues of infrastructure for some councils, which is at the core of the inquiry in Hawke\u2019s Bay and shows that the Green Party is exactly on the wrong track to address the issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b06609c3542640559fbe02115f87908b\u0022\u003ECatherine Delahunty\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I did appreciate the Minister\u2019s answer, but he did not address the question about whether people should have to pay for this water. He talked about a lot of other important issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d133537c8a5a4690b85ecc53e2e63203\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, the question was very definitely around whether there was a contradiction. You did not ask whether people should have to pay. The Minister definitely addressed the question that was asked.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229dc203b3-21b0-4d4a-a530-746504e05f20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228dcc9b0ea8b14c7f8d0005d4db71439c\u0022\u003ERichard Prosser\u003C/span\u003E: Why has this Government not yet adopted New Zealand First\u2019s policy, announced over a year ago, of imposing a royalty\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f7ff95cbc31b4e5cbd233400f69f352d\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. I have spoken very severely to some members to my left. I am now giving exactly the same warning to members on my right. If I see a continued interjection coming from any member whom I identify, that person will also be leaving the Chamber. Richard Prosser is to start his question again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229dc203b3-21b0-4d4a-a530-746504e05f20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022399ef9b1a1b143a19a88256758bf0801\u0022\u003ERichard Prosser\u003C/span\u003E: Why has this Government not yet adopted New Zealand First\u2019s policy, announced over a year ago, of imposing a royalty on every litre of water exported from this country, with at least 25 percent of that royalty being returned to the region from where the water was sourced?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022620f9b8d7881462b87bdc78579cbc92c\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I did see a proposal from the New Zealand First Party to charge all water users 10c per litre. Noting that it takes 400 litres to produce a litre of milk\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283f1b64075f74e32b054172dda574010\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c34df9d8b914438798df6d0225f0bfbb\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! Dr Smith will resume his seat.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022066bfd20104c438aa9de56b4a9114b53\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister is not permitted to outline another party\u2019s policy, particularly when he just said that policy was deceitful\u2014not a fact\u2014and he cannot show me one piece of evidence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260124b02509742ec9b09f1c156c60ad3\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! No, the question was very definitely: why has the Government not adopted a New Zealand First policy? That was the question that was asked. [Interruption] Order! That was the question that was asked, and that is the question I now want to hear the answer to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226357cd7bd70b4f7caabeddf1ab77e148\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: A cost of 10c a litre would amount to a $40-a-litre charge for our dairy industry, and, no, this Government does not want to wipe out New Zealand\u2019s most important export sector.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e7597af31664b84a3913a5ce29d7127\u0022\u003EScott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: What steps has this Government taken to ensure better management of New Zealand\u2019s fresh water, and what advice has he seen on its main uses?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb516861169a49198cbaaaed5a404523\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The two significant steps our Government has taken are to require all councils to set minimum flow rates in our waterways, and we also introduced compulsory metering. This has seen the volume of water taken and measured increase from 25 percent to now over 85 percent. We now also have a significant number of red-zone catchments where no further extractions are allowed. Three-quarters of the water taken in New Zealand is used for irrigation, about another 10 percent by industry and municipal supplies, 3 percent is taken for stock water, and the portion taken for bottled water is less than a thousandth of 1 percent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221986a7636f924782a41ed9873c1e97b3\u0022\u003ECatherine Delahunty\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister understand the frustration many New Zealanders feel as water in rivers, lakes, and aquifers is being siphoned away for commercial use, including irrigation and water bottling, at no actual cost to the user but at massive cost to communities and the environment, which also depends upon it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad1c2f4cc6e24388af3d49598a86e57a\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Every New Zealand household, all 1.6 million of them, has access to water for their own use, for which they pay for only the cost of the reticulation not the use, and if parties opposite want to start imposing new taxes on the use of water, where are they going to stop? Will air be charged for next? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274e2e47455234b3da59d22392e0c3c77\u0022\u003ECatherine Delahunty\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister understand that not taking action to prevent profiteering from our water is the final straw for many New Zealanders who have put up with water restrictions, polluted swimming holes, dried-up over-allocated rivers, and \u201Cboil water\u201D notices?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c75af7643d384ba8ba8498221051a827\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: This Government does want to see issues like the problems in Hawke\u2019s Bay, which the member associated with intensive dairying. Actually, the evidence before the inquiry has shown that it was in fact sheep and, secondly, non-intensive and more likely to be caused by poor maintenance by the council of its well. I think that member owes the dairy industry an apology. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002277b75056318a4ccabf05bdd638a1aa8e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a64982415f504fb997b46192fd246eee\u0022\u003ECatherine Delahunty\u003C/span\u003E: How will the Government support the rights of iwi and hap\u016B such as Ng\u0101ti Tama to protect Waikoropup\u016B Springs if the Government insists on allowing our water to be given away for free to private industry?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c510877d141d403793ea0eea16bd45e5\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: In respect of those springs, I am considering a water conservation order because it is my view that that particular world-renowned spring is one that does need to be protected, and I have meetings on Friday with local iwi in that respect. It may be interesting that the bill to be debated when question time finishes actually ensures that M\u0101ori have a more effective role and say in springs like those in Waikoropup\u016B Springs, supported and advocated for by the M\u0101ori Party but, I note, opposed by every other party in the Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b8a77427d4640aab5a7ea4844dd7e2c\u0022\u003ECatherine Delahunty\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister support the Green Party position that those making a profit from water should have to pay for the right to use it and prove that their commercial use is actually sustainable?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002242af0fe4322e40adb8a8ef8324fa643e\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Through the Government\u2019s water reforms we have a technical advisory group that is looking at the questions of both allocation and charging. We do think there is potential for improvement, but I point out to the member that, say, in my own constituency, where you have got a bottled water plant, established by a couple of guys who were made redundant from Solid Energy, next door to Coca-Cola, which makes soft drink just along the road from a beer plant, that both the Coca-Cola plant and the beer plant use a lot more water than the water bottling company. We need to be sure that any steps we take are fair to all users.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b332b2c72edf4dc4b631ddf6a74006e0\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori Development\u2014Economic Inequality, Housing, and Health Outcomes\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022 data-id=\u0022a360098303964164b14ff2e04c3dd128\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a360098303964164b14ff2e04c3dd128\u0022\u003EKELVIN DAVIS (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tokerau)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for M\u0101ori Development: Does he have confidence that his leadership of Te Puni K\u014Dkiri and its programmes are resulting in the best outcomes for M\u0101ori?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022 data-id=\u00224a6463a344d94b409d2819a2cfd20619\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224a6463a344d94b409d2819a2cfd20619\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Minister for M\u0101ori Development):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. Kia ora t\u0101tou. T\u0113n\u0101 koe t\u0113n\u0101 p\u0101tai. I believe that thousands of wh\u0101nau up and down the country are being well supported by Te Puni K\u014Dkiri to achieve better outcomes. Our wh\u0101nau deserve the best possible support they can get, which is why I have high expectations of all Government agencies and their leadership, including myself, to deliver to our people\u2014to M\u0101ori people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b3fbd4d0cdb4bc4b588f4c163bde25c\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: How does he reconcile that view that he is doing his best for M\u0101ori when the gap in median weekly earnings between M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 has risen 47 percent since his party shacked up with this Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a92aa395337a4129a8f5ae2800d9c0db\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: The member asked about better outcomes, and to take an example\u2014let me highlight just one or two. I will start with M\u0101ori housing, for example: 344 wh\u0101nau communities like in Kae\u014D in the member\u2019s electorate are now in safer, warmer, and heathier\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222861cda9e0784e33a74d10819e284a2a\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was around median weekly earnings.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc4a3e8cc3b84eec936b105a3e193024\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, the member then added something that almost caused me to rule the question out of order, and he referred to a coalition arrangement in some rather political terms, so that gives a very wide ambit to the Minister in answering the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ffc68cde89f479ebd049330e0673b41\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: If I can continue with this fine record, 344 wh\u0101nau and communities, like Kae\u014D, are now in safer, warmer, and healthier homes. Sixty wh\u0101nau and communities, like \u014Cm\u0101pere, are now in new affordable rental homes. Homeless wh\u0101nau are now getting better support in communities like Kae\u014D and Kait\u0101ia through emergency housing projects. I was pleased to see, for example, the member in Kait\u0101ia\u2014the member and me; both of us together\u2014launching and supporting Ricky Houghton in his housing project. Those sorts of projects are producing good outcomes for our people and I am pleased to be supporting them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cba491c9992640a28eaa00c1ed6c5e88\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: Does he believe, as Minister for M\u0101ori Development, that the selling off of State houses is rangatiratanga, as his colleague stated, when M\u0101ori are four times more likely to be waiting for a State house despite all of those things he has just gone through?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022de4e1865430f49588569d68687f5947c\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: Speaking about housing, we disagree with the submission put through by that member at the moment. But I can say, on the opposite side, for example, that in the community of Ng\u0101ruaw\u0101hia, where I had the privilege to be probably just about a week ago, there was the opening of te Turner papak\u0101inga housing. It is a nine-bedroom home that will house four generations\u201410 adults and nine tamariki. Those are the sorts of projects that are really benefiting M\u0101ori and getting better outcomes for our people. Those are the sorts of projects that Te Puni K\u014Dkiri are supporting, and those are the projects that I am proud to be Minister to advocate for. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022df3d730c66604fb4824d4f52b131f76c\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: Does he, as Minister for M\u0101ori Development, believe that, given lower M\u0101ori life expectancy, it is fair that the age of superannuation is raised?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227df65f9d660b48d588e2b2cfcade36a8\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: Talking about life expectancy, one of the great things that I have to be proud about is a funding allocation of $2 million this year to support initiatives aimed at reducing rangatahi suicide, including video resources and hui. Those are the sorts of things that are positive. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225fc5f53f361545ee83201c61567092cf\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Answer the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002279face1a6b0d4ce595b52df31df67a06\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am going invite the member to ask that question again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ea30850426144f2a72be38273771ce0\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: My point of order is that I asked whether it is fair\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b217e2b16ef54c41a0fa37033bea09b2\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no, I have asked the member please to ask the question again. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a858714082dd4585890af5cffe859673\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: OK. Does he, as Minister for M\u0101ori Development, believe that, given lower M\u0101ori life expectancy, it is fair that the age of superannuation is raised?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef9317df21b4466a81ada1c5bfa48bb6\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: That is a Government policy. In terms of the M\u0101ori Party view of that\u2014as one part of the coalition arrangement with the Government\u2014we believe that our policy is clear: to maintain the age as it is at present. That is our view.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f71a08a54dc846b88ae52f5b803f1cbe\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The member is answering as a Minister on behalf of the Government. It is not his job as a Minister to give a party perspective; it is his job to answer on behalf of the Government as a Minister in the Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d80fdf9b3b74d0f91e9d913c774230b\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002221581002536941ae9ba4a86e0f88d869\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I do not think there is much to talk about, but I will hear from the Hon Gerry Brownlee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238afad5d9ce04cc5b457a96c8091d3e9\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: It was established in this House by Helen Clark and, in fact, Jim Anderton and the new hope for the Labour Party, Laila Harr\u00E9, that a person who is a Minister inside a coalition Government, when asked a question about their party\u2019s policy, could answer so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228b7815d9c8a24a6f8a831dadf7c22349\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I need no further help, but I thank both members for their assistance. In this case a very clear question was asked, and I think that the Minister answered it very satisfactorily.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002247fdda9bf7b2470eb0af757d722aabd8\u0022\u003EKelvin Davis\u003C/span\u003E: When M\u0101ori unemployment is rising, the wage gap is growing, health outcomes are getting worse, and homeownership is a fantasy, how can he, with a straight face, say that M\u0101ori are getting positive outcomes under his watch?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022501d57a4504b43ffa8b6d9769e0fcfd6\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: The gist of the questions asked by the member is about responsibility, and I take those responsibilities really seriously. Can we do better? Of course we can do better, and my hope is to do that by way of advocating through my role as the Minister for M\u0101ori Development. For example, in Wh\u0101nau Ora $40 million over 4 years is about addressing those issues that the member has put in front of the Parliament today. In terms of business and innovation, it is about moving families to get into positions of self-sustaining businesses, and so on\u2014again, $4 million over 4 years. Those are the gains that we have been able to achieve to address best outcomes for our people. I think they need to be applauded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022172cf1d549094b4f931055c0fdd7c3a2\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Question No. 9\u2014[Interruption] The member has used her supplementary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a4873e8979d4f37950440f9f3c29abd\u0022\u003EMarama Fox\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, we had an agreement to have another supplementary question allocated. That is my understanding.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a41d46071a9f4ec4abdf6f18279f400b\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I can see that the chief Government whip is saying that is true, but it is helpful for me, in running question time, if I am made aware of such arrangements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226abf3fbc0ce64fbc87da3207dbe89758\u0022\u003EMarama Fox\u003C/span\u003E: Apologies, Mr Speaker, and thank you for your indulgence. Has the Minister read any reports about the very good work that he and Te Puni K\u014Dkiri are doing?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e715450a6f240ceb08a590cd7cecfdb\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: As it happens, I do. If I can quote from that report: \u201CI have to take my hat off to the M\u0101ori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell for keeping the kaupapa of the M\u0101ori Party beating while gaining wins from the Government in the 2016 Budget.\u201D The quote goes on: \u201Cin the past two years, he has done a good job for M\u0101ori and can feel satisfied with a new Whanau Ora injection of another $40 million over the next four years\u2014a total of $72 million a year in welfare, education and health spending to go through Whanau Ora providers.\u201D That quote came from the newest member of the Labour Party, Willie Jackson. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cff95ca5368545edb63065f7a3b8ed9c\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002262328ce2681942d0aa2e75de14ae65f4\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f54a08818de4b409c1f19d305548b9a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! This is a point of order and I expect to hear it in silence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e6c081c80f53402ea22a9fbb8dff80f9\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon Te Ururoa Flavell said it was a report. That being the case, can I ask him to table it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002220cd64e3e0ed4ee489fa49612d30d0a7\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: This is easily arranged if the Minister was quoting from an official document. Was the Minister quoting from an official document?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022085dda3a9b4e499a866bf1392b519298\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: No, Mr Speaker, from a radio broadcast.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022791e239ae1dd40c6bdc211d140a2aeb8\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Then the matter is resolved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022355adfab219d465cadf2a09437edc533\u0022\u003EBetter Public Services\u2014Early Childhood Education and NCEA Results\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022 data-id=\u0022d19050ad95404faebe6a9b95866f857e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d19050ad95404faebe6a9b95866f857e\u0022\u003EMAUREEN PUGH (National):\u003C/span\u003E My question\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a7c6cfe7e814b16bd4d7374d4623887\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The front bench must also cease interjecting, so we can hear the question from Maureen Pugh.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022 data-id=\u0022bca8a2fb0ef64496b04bcb8d6f86e720\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bca8a2fb0ef64496b04bcb8d6f86e720\u0022\u003EMAUREEN PUGH (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Education: What announcements has she made about the Government\u2019s education-related Better Public Services targets?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022 data-id=\u0022a88aeca2102a4a63865610039d5f4ac0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a88aeca2102a4a63865610039d5f4ac0\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE (Associate Minister of Education)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Education: I was very pleased to announce that the latest results for the Better Public Services targets show that 96.7 percent of children are now participating in early childhood education. This is an increase of 2 percent since March 2011. I was also delighted to announce that the provisional results also show that 85.2 percent of 18-year-olds achieved NCEA level 2 or equivalent last year. This has been a huge increase of 10.9 percent since 2011. I would like to congratulate students, teachers, and parents for this fabulous result, which is a reflection of their hard work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228088e1c27d7a4734b5abd4d506252630\u0022\u003EMaureen Pugh\u003C/span\u003E: Can she provide further information to the House on M\u0101ori and Pasifika NCEA level 2 achievement?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227def0a46eab040309508f90b2f854b4e\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE\u003C/span\u003E: I am pleased to advise the House that there has been a huge improvement in M\u0101ori and Pasifika achievement since 2011. Can I acknowledge the M\u0101ori Party for its contribution to education policy. An estimated 74.7 percent of M\u0101ori students achieved NCEA level 2 or equivalent in 2016, up from 57.1 percent in 2011. More than 80 percent of Pasifika 18-year-olds achieved NCEA level 2 in 2016, up from 65.5 percent in 2011. This Government is proud of the M\u0101ori and Pasifika achievement under this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002215db857668bc47f98c16022170d61a3c\u0022\u003EMental Health Services, Canterbury\u2014Funding\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022 data-id=\u0022fa29298dd5e149f0a87509100c8ce22a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fa29298dd5e149f0a87509100c8ce22a\u0022\u003EDr DAVID CLARK (Labour\u2014Dunedin North)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: How much did the Canterbury District Health Board receive from the Government for mental health and addiction services support in response to the Kaik\u014Dura earthquake, after paying off the debt of Kaik\u014Dura\u2019s health centre?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022 data-id=\u00220635fd66b3ea4b3289a4ce887a814156\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220635fd66b3ea4b3289a4ce887a814156\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E Following the Kaik\u014Dura earthquake, the Government announced a $3.76 million support package for Kaik\u014Dura and Marlborough, including $2 million to clear remaining community debt for the new Kaik\u014Dura health centre, as well as a total of $915,000 for Nelson Marlborough District Health Board and $845,000 for Canterbury District Health Board. Although the Canterbury District Health Board sought a higher amount of funding, the support package was deliberately for only 1 year in order to allow immediate assistance to be delivered while the longer-term wider psychosocial recovery response is being considered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fa6aa94d6e8d4fe9b92d8c44c76b658e\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Is it not true that the $845,000 he has just admitted to was meant to last the district health board (DHB) until December 2017, and that the DHB has already spent $2 million to date, previously earmarked for other services like aged care, on providing support as a result of the Kaik\u014Dura earthquake?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022013ed063d62b46e4b42ac67f3d638ec4\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, as the member knows, the district health board is bulk funded. It has got a budget of about $1.4 billion\u2014that has gone up by $330 million over the time of this Government. This was a very carefully formulated package. It was consulted on with the Canterbury and the Nelson Marlborough DHBs and it has delivered a wide range of services, which I am very happy to take the member through. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c532e240ebe944bd913a81615784eac4\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Why did he not listen to the Canterbury District Health Board when he was told in official advice that the $845,000 for mental health services after the Kaik\u014Dura earthquake would not go far enough?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022babb3f3faf8649018ab2fe675495a398\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the Canterbury District Health Board made a case for a wider package\u2014a greater amount of money\u2014but looking through its figures, it actually got the figures wrong. So it wanted $3.2 million for the clearing of the debt when the debt was only $2 million. It also wanted about $2 million for community service coordinators, which was actually money that was provided across different portfolios. So there was a difference between the figures there. But the actual fact is that it is a package that is focused on delivering the services that are needed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220b1c7acc4c62438a8759fa86a1088b24\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table official advice to the Minister that says his relief package is deliberately short term. It is from a briefing dated 2 December 2016 and released under the Official Information Act.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291440482eca44e09840ff7d1006bc493\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought to table that information. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is not; it can be tabled.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022026a735350cf431e8245635c29d1941e\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Canterbury DHB funded below the national average for mental health services?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210769b9dda0e4a76a9bf6d48e421c2de\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: The Canterbury District Health Board receives a per-person amount that is based on exactly the same formula as every other district health board. So in terms of the total number, that will reflect the demographics of the population. It is higher than some DHBs and lower than others, but it is the same formula and it is fair right across the country. On top of that, there has been $106 million put in by the Government to help the Canterbury DHB through the effects of the earthquake. That includes $20 million last\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c42fd1c2c3c7455b900ef7466d7dbae5\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It was a very straight and short question as to whether it was funded below the national average.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b19cafd10cb54944893531e32ef1d1d0\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: And the Minister answered it. He said it is higher than some and lower than others.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c62ff2cda2474f02a3a11d0039873282\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, that is not an answer to the question; that is a truism.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a1749ac7f934e60b877a0c2a3650d10\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is very much an answer to the question. If the member has further supplementary questions, I will hear them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246e997275dc4437ba8a57d86f90a1a73\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Does he think it is acceptable that financial pressures have put the Canterbury DHB in a position where, just last month, 40 adult in-patients were ferried off to a range of locations at night because there are currently more adult patients than beds in Canterbury?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022baa06c26b5fb4c8890d8aa625a8deea4\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: As he will know, his excellent predecessor, Mrs King, was involved in changing the model of care. It is a model that I support whereby, actually, we are not locking everybody up in the hospitals like we did last century; we are actually moving people into the community where they are cared for. I would suggest that the member puts aside his personal differences with Mrs King, sits down with her, learns from her experience, and learns\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002248c4e804fa104989961cb09ca488ab49\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I do not think the answer continuing is going to help the order of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228ba85b2826c746b1bdffc54727075fa9\u0022\u003EDr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Given anticipated demand and given the fact that the chief executive of the Canterbury DHB says a request for more funding was not unreasonable, is the Minister once again saying that he knows better than researchers and practitioners when it comes to post-earthquake mental health support?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222227936204bf441aad656cda819ebf18\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: No, I am not saying that, but I have already taken the member through that answer. What I said was that there was a difference between what the Canterbury DHB chief executive thought the Canterbury DHB should receive, but, actually, the figures in that document were wrong. He wanted $3.2 million to clear the debt; the debt was $2 million. He wanted $2 million for community support coordinators; that is actually covered by a range of portfolios. I suggest, once again, he gets together\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e658ed1f5e7e4397aabf020df6e48407\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! No, I do not think this is going to help the order of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c79aebfd5c3d4395a49b6fd4ad8c3519\u0022\u003EUnited Nations Security Council\u2014Resolution Criticising Israel, Cabinet Approval\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022c0b6346edcfe4c419d6d805e424e2f3b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c0b6346edcfe4c419d6d805e424e2f3b\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader\u2014NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Given the importance of this issue, I would seek to have this question deferred until the Minister is able to answer it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u0022f93fce0fed004cbf9834f98d307e16d5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f93fce0fed004cbf9834f98d307e16d5\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member is seeking leave to defer this question to an alternative day. Is there any objection to that happening? There is objection. [Interruption] Order! [Interruption] Order! Now there are interjections coming from both sides that are not helpful. I invite the member now to ask question No. 11.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a21bf1bf2cee414eafeba5f5a06cb1d4\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary question\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223b49d2f91c5c4c75a96defa6be2d7054\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no\u2014we need the primary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225ad858189ddc4d6bb0766bd8698066ca\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry\u2014yes. Well, I was going to put another alternative.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u002250af690bc34940898fe5dcfb903dc1e9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002250af690bc34940898fe5dcfb903dc1e9\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader\u2014NZ First)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does he stand by all his statements; if so, why?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00221ce052b8ce684c489a73c981e8cddf22\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221ce052b8ce684c489a73c981e8cddf22\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Defence) \u003C/span\u003Eon behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Yes, in the context they were made and when accurately reported.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022608bfb1844d546548db85791720307db\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: If the Cabinet Manual requires that any international proposal including \u201Cdenunciation\u201D must go before Cabinet, can he confirm that Cabinet expressly approved his \u201Cspirit of unanimity\u201D in which the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334 criticising Israel?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223b862f4f67384667b3ac51499d9a6ad9\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I would like to answer on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but I did not hear the middle part of that question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002278fe53874c6c431a8470f561e5404d79\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Then we will have it again, and we will have it without interruption from anybody.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f6f95d683f4442594c10726034c775c\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: If the Cabinet Manual requires that any international proposal including \u201Cdenunciation\u201D must go before Cabinet, can he confirm that Cabinet expressly approved his \u201Cspirit of unanimity\u201D in which the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334 criticising Israel?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002209ef9830128a4d91ac74763ef117c28a\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: New Zealand\u2019s position on that resolution was as has been previously determined by this and other Governments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad0a225d3701498991907558ab8ce37a\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked a specific question, and I never got an answer to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228a86168d1ff46c8844a3c9655511129\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am going to ask the member to ask the question again. There is quite a lot that does not need to be in the question, but ask it as the member wants.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022551dca98175244c68c946b468b5e4f31\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: If the Cabinet Manual requires that any international proposal including \u201Cdenunciation\u201D must go before Cabinet, can he confirm that Cabinet expressly approved his \u201Cspirit of unanimity\u201D in which the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334 criticising Israel; in short, did it go to Cabinet?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e801fd2f2565457fa7815e76c311f85d\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: We disagree with the questioner\u2019s interpretation of \u201Cdenunciation\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c6539dd2639b4e40a0175438fb468b69\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This question asks, in the abbreviated form in which you asked me to give it, \u201CDid a paper go to Cabinet?\u201D It is that simple, and he will not answer me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221f5298d4f2834ca28ec49be0c8215dc2\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no. The difficulty is that you have got a very general primary question that was asked. I refer the member to Speaker\u2019s rulings 191/3-4. The member is now getting into something quite specific. We have had two goes at it. I think that on the second occasion the Minister has addressed the question. I invite the member to proceed with his line of supplementary questions, and I will give him one additional supplementary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226cde88cb2a344f249ba9ec2819e55028\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: If \u201Cdenunciation\u201D was the roadblock in his answer, has he seen Cabinet Manual paragraph 5.73, which specifically refers to denunciation of an international treaty of agreement?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283a3c306043041e685cf7666dc118f3b\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I am not an expert on the Cabinet Manual. [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b68bfeff237e46cab602fc0a34d3c9d0\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Thank you, Mr Hipkins.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cf055fa952af498aa57ccd7bd9d1a5d4\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Or anything. If he consulted with the Prime Minister and/or the Secretary of the Cabinet prior to New Zealand co-sponsoring United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, what response did he get from the Prime Minister or the Secretary of the Cabinet on the resolution?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227635e8d0e11c44ceab5560e4e3cca08a\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I think the member is trying to make something out of something that is not really the case. The first point I would make\u2014and I have made it before\u2014is that there was nothing in that resolution that New Zealand had not previously supported or had not been determined by Government; therefore, there was not the necessity for the discussion that he seems to think should have taken place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c7fb1421de04fe8acd622be3d11e2f3\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: What information, briefings, or papers did the Cabinet external relations and defence committee specifically receive from him prior to UN Security Council Resolution 2334; will he table them?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d3c9c4aa52f482d888b323928dc094f\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: Across all of the activities of foreign affairs, there are numerous papers that are referred to that select committee. I am sure that that select committee will make its own determination about what papers it releases.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002265fb77fc99684e13b51706b9a5342caf\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This House is not the select committee. It is much bigger than a select committee, and he is saying now that if you are at the select committee he may do it, but if it is the House, he will not answer the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad48f7b5b30a40cfaa1e56f3088d08df\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think he meant a Cabinet committee. We will hear from the Hon Gerry Brownlee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002249e93a2d08f246a1908d9f4d54d93512\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: My apologies, Mr Speaker. I am not being clever about it\u2014I am having a little difficulty understanding or hearing, in fact, all of the words in the questions being asked.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a0a0cffb8934826b8e691c3e4abb8d6\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Then the easy way forward is to ask the member to ask that question again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c1a3133515e24b91b75c4c0f2ede1adf\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: What information, briefings, or papers did the Cabinet external relations and defence committee specifically receive from him prior to UN Security Council Resolution 2334; will he table them?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bcaacec309854fcda2792055c6fc2abb\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: There are two questions there. The Minister can address one or both.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002248e5648573b84178bdd09ff96958f1bc\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: The Cabinet external relations and defence committee has received many, many papers from the Minister of Foreign Affairs over the last 8 years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002209870a7e4a934e0d8bb037f1991cd222\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Will he release all Cabinet minutes, briefings, diary notes, and aides-m\u00E9moire, including from Government officials, relating to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2cc3b57c9274a37815fd4de68c97479\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I am sure that if there was an Official Information Act request made, there would be an appropriate release.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad207d670cb34c3392079e152b1bc90f\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. There was such an Official Information Act request made, and the person requesting it was told: \u201CWe can\u2019t give it to you and we may never give it to you.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4e297d53dd74dd4aff96b3a6d3f6fd0\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! That is not a point of order. That is a matter for debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e913b274fd304e5390ae80b6a9475908\u0022\u003EDisability Support Services\u2014Reform\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258eae615-ef83-4df5-bace-6749bdd312a8\u0022 data-id=\u00220bef1c0f3d1d4299beca3c81f5056db8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258eae615-ef83-4df5-bace-6749bdd312a8\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220bef1c0f3d1d4299beca3c81f5056db8\u0022\u003EDr PARMJEET PARMAR (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Disability Issues: What recent announcements has she made regarding a nationwide transformation of the disability support system?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022 data-id=\u0022ae183652878a4cf482cc64f73108c7dc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ae183652878a4cf482cc64f73108c7dc\u0022\u003EHon NICKY WAGNER (Minister for Disability Issues):\u003C/span\u003E I announced that the Government will undertake a 3 month co-designed process with the disability sector to begin a nationwide transformation of the disability support system based on the Enabling Good Lives principle. This change is about ensuring that disabled people and their families have more choice and more control over their supports. Cabinet is expected to consider the system design in mid-2017.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258eae615-ef83-4df5-bace-6749bdd312a8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f53508db29f4d41b9920c18e37884db\u0022\u003EDr Parmjeet Parmar\u003C/span\u003E: What will be the focus of the design process?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251948ad04ba64f8f892bfb759b0a035d\u0022\u003EHon NICKY WAGNER\u003C/span\u003E: The transformation will focus initially on those receiving support from the Disability Support Services in the mid-central region. The Enabling Good Lives demonstration in the Waikato will continue, as will the arrangements for Christchurch. Input from the disability sector will be vital throughout the transformation process, particularly around the design phase. The new system will incorporate a social investment approach to improve outcomes for individuals and deliver cost-effective services over the long term.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f279c0800ca045bc855feeb4f46c5ef6\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8 to Minister\u2014Amended Answer\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022 data-id=\u002297e0a0c789c546a1a827ab881dfe728a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002297e0a0c789c546a1a827ab881dfe728a\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Minister for M\u0101ori Development):\u003C/span\u003E I seek the leave of the House to correct an answer given in question time today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253236d50b0f144458a5ad6aa54026cdf\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? There is none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b16822158de74be08a5c717b2a824124\u0022\u003EHon TE URUROA FLAVELL\u003C/span\u003E: During question time, I think I was asked a question with regard to superannuation. Although it was outside of the portfolio area, as raised by the Hon Gerry Brownlee, I said that the M\u0101ori Party policy was to keep superannuation at the current level. In fact, the policy is to drop it to 60 years of age.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022ecaba877a96d420c98fd5ab8573e6dd0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ecaba877a96d420c98fd5ab8573e6dd0\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS (Labour\u2014Rimutaka):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think that this definitely creates an issue when Ministers who are answering as Ministers answer not as Ministers on behalf of the Government but on behalf of political parties, because, actually, strictly speaking, that is not an appropriate use of the correction system. That is correcting a party\u2019s policy, for which the Minister is not responsible to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u002259173502d19149b0be6182dfe85efde7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002259173502d19149b0be6182dfe85efde7\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: We cannot move past it at the moment. I will need to go back now and see the tone and the exact wording of the question, but my recollection was that the question did not really ask about a Government position but took the opportunity to ask about the member\u2019s position, or the member\u2019s party\u2019s position, but I will have another look at it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221a0658a491744c378d91069105ec5cc8\u0022\u003EResource Legislation Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002224d7735d015f4d6f9307a59a06352d38\u0022\u003ESecond Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000241\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 9 March.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u0022b7c8be368dd94ec2be1bfebf7a7b42e0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b7c8be368dd94ec2be1bfebf7a7b42e0\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E When the Hon Nick Smith spoke to this bill last Thursday\u2014excuse me, I am fighting a cold\u2014he said it was necessary because of the housing crisis in Auckland. Well, we know there is a housing crisis in Auckland, but it is wrong to blame the Resource Management Act (RMA) for that crisis. The RMA has been in force since about 1992. In 2004, when the RMA was enforced, there were 31,423 consents for new houses in New Zealand; in 2016, there were only 29,900. In Auckland the number went down, from 2004, from 12,000 to 9,000. The RMA was in force throughout. How can it be that Nick Smith can blame the RMA for the housing crisis in Auckland? It is a nonsense.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThere is a problem with a lack of land supply in Auckland. The Labour Party has been saying that for about 4 or 5 years. I think it was Annette King who made the announcement with David Shearer at a conference about 5 years ago\u2014we said we need a national policy statement under the RMA to free up land supply for affordable housing. I had a hand in that. I remember it. The RMA should have been the solution, or one of the solutions, to these problems; it should not be the whipping boy for problems with housing in Auckland. In truth, the more important solutions in respect of housing involve cracking down on speculators and getting the Government to roll up its sleeves and build a few affordable houses. Every few decades, the Labour Party has to do that, and that is actually, in the end, the essential component of decent housing policy. We also need, of course, to ban offshore buyers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIt is abundantly clear that the housing crisis in Auckland is no excuse for this deeply flawed piece of legislation. Last week I was complimenting Minister Finlayson and the National Government on a wonderful process in respect of the oversight legislation for the SIS and the Government Communications Security Bureau. Sadly, this particular piece of legislation falls on exactly the opposite extreme. This is an appalling piece of legislation. It is poorly designed in principle, and the detail of it is flawed in so many, many ways. I and many others, including Sir Geoffrey Palmer, have described the regulation-making powers that are conferred on Ministers under this bill as completely rebalancing the current division of powers between local government and central government in favour of the executive. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EI ask this House: who in their right mind would give sweeping executive powers to Nick Smith to override\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213704bef1dfc461990654535c634988f\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: No!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220207135179d84dfdb10b4257379ce9b6\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that is right. These are Trump-like powers. Who in their right mind\u2014well, the answer is the M\u0101ori branch of the National Government. The M\u0101ori Party is pushing this appalling piece of legislation\u2014which is opposed by Labour, and it is opposed by New Zealand First, by the Greens, by the ACT Party, and by United Future\u2014through the House, and this terrible piece of legislation, which further complicates the RMA, will do nothing to improve affordability of housing. The M\u0101ori Party is pushing this through with its two votes, and in return for what? In return for improved participatory involvement for the M\u0101oridom in plan-making processes and some consents. You know, I do not have a great objection to those provisions. They do not actually add much to what is happening, or what should happen, presently, because in theory, under the RMA, everyone has got the right of participation. So why would the M\u0101ori Party trade this appalling piece of legislation for some minor improvements to M\u0101ori participation rights? Well, it has got to answer that question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThere are three main forms of executive power that are being granted here. The first is Draconian regulatory powers to override rules and plans that the Government deems to be inconsistent with other legislation, which it would like to think is a code. It is aiming here at GM rules against rules and plans\u2014rules against the use of GMOs in specific localities. The Labour Party position is that the safety decision should be taken by the Environmental Protection Authority under the hazardous substances and new organisms (HASNO) legislation. Clinical decisions ought to be taken by clinicians, not councils, but there is an economic decision that is legal for councils to take, as to whether they think it undermines, for example, the ability of an organic apple business in the Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2019s to have GM crops. That is the current law; councils can do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIf the Government wants to make HASNO a code, it should amend the HASNO legislation. It should not give great big regulation-making powers\u2014executive powers\u2014to Nick Smith. It is similar to if the Government wanted to say that the Building Act was a code for insulation and wanted to stock colder centres like Dunedin and Christchurch, which want to have a more strict code so that their houses are warmer and drier. If those members want that to be a code in the Building Act, amend the Building Act; do not give some broad regulation-making power to Nick Smith. I do not trust him to have that power.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThe other regulation-making powers here come through the plan to standardise plan formats and rules. We agree with standard plan formats and standard definitions. It is common sense. But those rules are cast so broadly that they can go to the substance of plan rules, not just their format and definition, and that goes too far too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThirdly, the rule-making powers of the Minister are also far too broad. These powers have been likened by some to the old powers that the Muldoon Government gave itself under the National Development Act and to the abuses by the Muldoon Government of regulation-making powers under the Economic Stabilisation Act 1948. We should never forget in this House that those broad regulation-making powers that were given to the executive just after World War II sat on the books for decades and were not abused until Muldoon came along about three decades later and used the regulation to impose a price freeze, a wage freeze, and a rent freeze through taking executive action by regulation, not through this House. This bill is not quite as bad as the Economic Stabilisation Act and the regulation-making power thereunder, but it is on that spectrum. It is on that spectrum, and I ask again: who in their right mind would be handing those powers across to a Minister?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThis legislation was panned by just about everyone. Even the few people who came and supported it would say things like \u201CWell, we support the intent of the bill.\u201D before criticising much of its detail. Take the provision in respect of subdivision applications not being notified. Do you know who was opposed to that? The developers\u2014the developers. They said: \u201CIt\u2019s going too far. People should have a right of participation.\u201D They further said\u2014and some of the big developers came along and said\u2014\u201CWe wear more than one hat here. We don\u2019t just develop land; we run quarries. And when someone puts a subdivision next to our quarry and we have got no right of participation, we get worried because in 10 years\u2019 time, those people will be trying to shut down our quarry, and we need quarries for the gravel for roads.\u201D They came along and said: \u201CThis is just silly.\u201D They said: \u201CAbrogating rights of appeal to the Environment Court is wrong too. It will encourage stupid conditions from councils. If there is no right of appeal, they will write 50 conditions instead of 20, and there will be no recourse.\u201D Appeal rights are important. They are not just rights that are important to objectors; they are also important rights for applicants.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThere are lots of other things wrong with this bill. In terms of some of the underlying problems that we have got in society, we have got this appalling degradation of our waterways. Eight years after this Government came into power, 70 percent of monitored waterways have still got increasing concentrations of nitrates. Its pathetic swimmable standard, which it announced the week before last, had no provision relating to periphyton, which most people know of as \u201Cslime\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb88a138b3044d079c0901b60641522f\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, it does. Not true.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226028f7032f414a66befe999f110d558e\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, Minister Smith, you are just wrong. You are spinning again. The standard that sits there is the old one that sat there for your wadeable standard. It is unchanged for swimmable rivers. I have said that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EYou would not answer the question in the House, Nick Smith. I have tweeted and I have put out the information. People know where the truth is and that you have absolutely no credibility. You are letting our rivers be used as farm drains. You threw away the national policy statement that was available to you from Judge Sheppard when you came into Government that said that increases in land use intensity should no longer be a permitted activity. You nixed that, and what you have done since has been completely ineffective, and as a consequence we have got tens of thousands of people rising up around the country saying: \u201CWe want to be able to swim in our local river in summer, putting our heads under without getting crook. We want to have aquifers where we can use the water drawn from bores to make baby formula without our babies getting sick.\u201D You cannot do that in South Canterbury now, according to the medical officer of health.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThis is an appalling piece of legislation. It is typical Nick Smith\u2014grandiose in intent and flawed in its detail, and it really should go in the trash can.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022 data-id=\u002243ed046cfbf44bda85f1cdd74cb30340\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002243ed046cfbf44bda85f1cdd74cb30340\u0022\u003EMARAMA FOX (Co-Leader\u2014M\u0101ori Party):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Mana Whakaw\u0101, and I would like to thank the previous speaker, David Parker, for his contribution. In fact, I quite like David Parker. I am not one who is into pointing fingers and saying horrible things about people, so I am going to say the wonderful things I like about Mr David Parker. I agree with him that he is a valuable man. He has given good input in his speech across a broad range of things that we actually agree on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EWe come to this House and we come to the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill because we think we try to provide some balance to that. We have managed to maintain kaitiakitanga. We have managed to maintain the place of hap\u016B and iwi in the management of the resources under this piece of legislation. We believe that protection and enhancement of the natural world can only be achieved when tangata whenua are involved in decisions about sustainable management and economic progress. We have this belief. It is also the belief of the Iwi Chairs Forum, whose technical advisers worked with us in negotiations with the Minister to carve back some of the things that the Hon David Parker\u2014is he \u201Chonourable\u201D? [Interruption] Yes, he is honourable\u2014mentioned in his speech.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EI mean that we want to be involved in a very real way, and to this end we have supported the call of Ng\u0101ti Tama, who have sought from the Minister for the Environment a water conservation order over the Waikoropup\u016B Springs. We do this because it has been the experience of M\u0101ori in regional areas, under local government, to come and be consulted and tick-boxed and then to be ignored when decision making is made by regional councils and local councils. I could bring up the example in my own town of Masterton, where the iwi were consulted about whether to put the overflow from the sewerage treatment centres directly into the river when the treatment ponds were full.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EOur objection was noted. Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu ki Te Wairarapa and Rangit\u0101ne ki Wairarapa said: \u201CThis is unacceptable. You cannot do that. You have another option available to you, and we think you should do that.\u201D The local council said \u201CThank you very much for your consultation.\u201D and did it anyway\u2014to the point where that river is now so degraded that a farm dog drank from the river, not far from where that sewage outlet flows into the Ruam\u0101hanga River, and died. That is right. That is how clean our rivers are. So, yes, we do believe that being given an increased say, through the Mana Whakahono a R\u014Dhe arrangements for hap\u016B and iwi, with their local council, is an important step, and it is a huge leap of faith for it to be legislated, in law, that they must do it, because it is variable around the country as to how much local government interacts with their local M\u0101ori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ESome people have called that separatism. Some people have said that that is special rights for M\u0101ori. Some people have said that that is privilege.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ddb32802e6a04da69d79fa5790850c09\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s what it is. That, in fact, is what it is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002289648a7283d24992aca1eb9b87b0f54f\u0022\u003EMARAMA FOX\u003C/span\u003E: I will tell you what that is. That is correcting the imbalance. That is correcting the imbalance of a guarantee that was given to M\u0101ori under the Treaty of Waitangi, and we have sought to ensure the guarantee to all their resources, to all of their lands, to their rivers, to their fishers\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220aefedde192e42f4b4f44d9dedcd6fc5\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s a different issue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229dafa9b63f8447caa958cc68a691ce1b\u0022\u003EMARAMA FOX\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, is that a different issue? I think not, thank you very much. So our concept of guardianship and kaitiakitanga, which embraces the spiritual and cultural guardianship of Te Ao M\u0101ori, is a responsibility derived from whakapapa\u2014whakapapa that links us to our ancestral mother, Papat\u016B\u0101nuku. That is our right, and that is why we stand up and fight for the right of M\u0101ori within this piece of legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EHowever, let us get to the GE-free debate that has been going on recently. I would like our public and our wh\u0101nau to know that the M\u0101ori Party has been a supporter of GE-free Aotearoa since 2004. It has been in our policy manifesto. It has been in our relationship agreements with the Government. And based on this, there are some things that we would still like to negotiate with the Minister, because the drafting does not completely match the anticipated decisions that we came to and the agreements that we came to around policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ESo, in good faith, we are going to vote for this today, on the guarantee that we continue to have those conversations in order to put forward the policies of not just the M\u0101ori Party but, yes, regions such as the Hawke\u2019s Bay, regions such as Te Tai Tokerau, and regions within Te Wai Pounamu, which are advocating for a GE-free stance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Party will protect the natural environment and the ecological system. This comes straight from our policy. We will support Aotearoa remaining nuclear free and work towards achieving a GE-free New Zealand. That has been our policy for ever. It is not because people are jumping up and down. We have met with our GE friends throughout the entire process as we have sought to reduce the wide-ranging powers of the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EYou might have noticed that there used to be a section 360A, section 360B, and section 360C, as well as section 360D, and they have now gone, because that is what we have negotiated. We do that because we speak on behalf of the people whom we represent, and their technical advisers were completely involved throughout the entire process to ensure that we could get the best outcome for M\u0101ori. And guess what? They agree. That is exactly what we have done. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EWe have secured gains for kaitiakitanga in this bill. If the New Zealand First Party members have a problem with that, they should speak to a member of their party, who was the chief Treaty negotiator for our Kahungunu settlement, in which they were trying to get back the lake and the rivers and have equal management over those resources. He can tell them all about what that means to M\u0101ori, and that is exactly what we have sought to do here\u2014so that you can not be just consulted, but up front, at the beginning, you are able to engage in a Mana Whakahono arrangement with your local council to determine in what areas you would like to have notifications around consent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ESo, no, maybe iwi do not need to be consulted about a window in a building or a street that is going to be built in an area that has already been subdivided, but they may want to be consulted about a w\u0101hi tapu, a sacred spring, a place that has been a gathering place for their people for centuries. That is exactly what happened with the springs that we talked about earlier, the Waikoropup\u016B Springs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EWe are willing to support this bill today on conditions. This is what we say to the Minister. We have been working in good faith with him, and we have made some gains for M\u0101oridom within this bill, for the betterment of the whole of Aotearoa, because kaitiakitanga, linked through whakapapa to our Earth Mother, is the way that we ensure that our environment is maintained in its not wadeable, not swimmable, but in its pristine state. Our policy is not for swimmable rivers; it is for drinkable rivers, or, at least, drinkable where they should be drinkable and not in the middle of Rotorua when there is bubbling mud coming up through the water\u2014but in its pristine state. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ESo we stand today to say that we give support. We give support to this piece of legislation at its second reading, but we are looking forward to the Committee of the whole House stage, at which any further negotiations that we may be able to get through to further protect the environment will be put through.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6636b13405e4cf5b6451442db12f86a\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: Leaving it a bit late.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233fd9f64a5af4aa986560ea91fb462e2\u0022\u003EMARAMA FOX\u003C/span\u003E: It is never too late. It is not too late until the fat lady sings, and I have not started singing yet. So the next stage, the Committee of the whole House stage, is the stage where we can bring Supplementary Order Papers to the House\u2014the opportunity to make amendments, if we are able to do that, and let the rest of the House decide whether those things are appropriate for this piece of legislation or not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThis bill does not become law until it passes the third reading. That is the time at which you should measure how voting is cast\u2014because I understand that has been raised in recent times, about the M\u0101ori Party being the M\u0101ori branch of the National Party. Well, let me just clarify before I finish: if I wanted to wear blue undies, I would be. I am not. Therefore, we seek to have an independent voice, and we can bring independent voice to this bill. We bring independent votes to this bill. We seek to uphold the wishes of our people who have put their trust in us, and that is what we are doing. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u00224c35e8550f064fe1af15d2a1418408a0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224c35e8550f064fe1af15d2a1418408a0\u0022\u003EMEKA WHAITIRI (Labour\u2014Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti):\u003C/span\u003E E Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. Otir\u0101, e ng\u0101 mema o Te Whare nei, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. I am pleased to take a call on the second reading of the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill. It has been almost 2 weeks since I have been in this House, and there has been a lot that has happened. If I can ask for your indulgence, Mr Deputy Speaker, I just want to acknowledge the victims of flooding, particularly the chairman of our Local Government and Environment Committee, Scott Simpson, in terms of the Coromandel, and those in west Auckland. My thoughts are with those communities, particularly our families that do not have insurance. Can I just put that on record. Secondly, can I just acknowledge the successful hosting of the largest cultural event in New Zealand, Matatini, in my area of Kahungunu. I just want to acknowledge Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu\u2019s hosting of the many kapas that came and also acknowledge the overall winner, Whangar\u0101 Mai Tawhiti, which, obviously, comes from my electorate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThis bill is flawed, and I want to use the time in this contribution not to repeat what my colleague the Hon David Parker has said but to talk about the process\u2014to talk about the shambolic process this particular bill has gone through\u2014which has led us to have these grave concerns about whether this bill actually meets the undefined problem that the Minister is talking about, and that is a lack of housing up in the Auckland area. Can I just put on record that this bill was referred to the select committee in December 2015. Clearly, we were going to rise about a week later. We heard 210 submissions throughout the country. About 2 June 2016, which is approximately 4 months later, hearings were completed. If you think about it, that is 4 months of hearing over 210 submissions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThen we had a departmental report, which was delayed month by month, and it received two extensions from the Business Committee. The select committee members were told that one of the reasons why we were constantly pushing out the report-back date was that Cabinet had not signed off the proposed changes. That tells me that in the National Government\u2019s own caucus there were real concerns around this particular bill. Although not confirmed, I think the delays were because the Government did not have the numbers to pass it through the House, even though it had the numbers at the select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThen we go on to 2 November 2016, and we had the second stage departmental report presented to the select committee, with some 400 pages. Because of the time delay, members were unable or unwilling to make changes. So, throughout the 400 pages that we had at the select committee, we listened to what submitters said. We were active members of that select committee to make the changes submitters had shared with us time and time and time again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThen on 9 November we heard the M\u0101ori Party had cut a deal with the National Party, and it said that it was going to support the bill. The reason why it gave its support was apparently because of iwi engagement plans\u2014iwi engagement plans. The co-leader Marama Fox, the member who just resumed her seat, talked about the importance of iwi being engaged. I want to put on record that we currently have 124\u2014124\u2014iwi and hap\u016B co-governance arrangements with councils as a result of Treaty settlements. Before this piece of reform, 124 existed. I do not want people to feel that this is going to be the silver bullet that gets iwi to the table. It is currently there in our Treaty settlements\u2014124.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThere was a concerted effort by many to ask the M\u0101ori Party to withdraw its support. In fact, over the February break this year, at Te R\u0101 o Te Raukura, talking to many of the M\u0101ori Party supporters, they were unaware that a 3-minute video had been put together by\u2014hold on, Mr Deputy Speaker\u2014the chairman of Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu, Ng\u0101hiwi Tomoana, and the former captain of the All Blacks, Taine Randell, who is now a director on the Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu asset holding company. We had the mayor, who is actually a National Party candidate, Lawrence Yule. We also had growers and agricultural people. We had representatives at council level who participated in this video. Why, Mr Deputy Speaker? Because they realised that the Government was not listening to them. Their video\u20143 minutes\u2014which is up online, and anyone can google it, was aimed at the M\u0101ori Party, asking the M\u0101ori Party to withdraw its support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ESo this is the process; 14 months later, it comes back here. There was a huge disagreement in the select committee because, apparently, the Government Ministers would not allow us to report back with our minority report. So it came back to this House without a report. I think that is shambolic, and it calls into question the sanctity of the select committee process to ensure that we are making good, sound decisions around legislation that we present back in the House. On this particular occasion, I do not believe that was followed\u2014I do not believe that. For 14 months, we to-ed and fro-ed\u2014all sorts of things were happening\u2014and, of course, at the end of the day, the people whom I represent in Hawke\u2019s Bay have already made a delegation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EI want to just touch briefly on new section 360D, inserted by clause 105. I want to share what submitters said in relation to new section 360D in terms of the broad powers given to the Minister. Here is one quote: \u201CI recommend that the broad powers that would be given to the Minister under section 360D(1)(a), (b), and (c) not proceed.\u201D Who wrote that? That is from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Here is another one: \u201CThe new regulation making powers are far-reaching and HBRC and LFNZ have concerns at several levels including: (i) the extensive use of regulations \u2026 (ii) the use of regulations imposed by central Government \u2026 (iii) the uncertainty as to what the regulations may contain; and (iv) the uncertain status of Ministerial policy statements\u2026\u201D Who wrote that? Hawke\u2019s Bay Regional Council. Here is another one, which says: \u201CWe submit that 360D be deleted from the Bill on the basis that: The proposed regulatory powers are an excessive grant of power to a minister,\u201D. Who wrote that? Pure Hawke\u2019s Bay. Here is another one: \u201CThe Council supports a number of the changes proposed through the Amendment Bill, but is concerned that there are other aspects that may result in communities being less able to self-determine environmental outcomes, which is currently a central premise both for the Council and in the Resource Management Act 1991.\u201D That is from Hastings District Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EAgain, going back to the M\u0101ori Party co-leader, around these hap\u016B and the gains that they have received for M\u0101ori and hap\u016B around here, there are existing gains that I mentioned early on\u2014the 124. One of them is actually in my own electorate of Hawke\u2019s Bay. This, again, is from the Hawke\u2019s Bay Regional Council, which notes: \u201CLastly, with the recent enactment of the Hawke\u2019s Bay Regional Planning Committee Act (HBRPC) 2015 it is important that the RLA Bill and any amendments made to it (including changes sought by Local Government New Zealand), must not supplant, compromise, or weaken this legislation. The HBRPC Act has resulted in fundamental and positive changes to the way in which HBRC operates and works with t\u0101ngata whenua. Vitally it was an agreed part of the treaty settlement negotiations with nine treaty settlement entities.\u201D I hope that proves that there is wide-ranging opposition to new section 360D, particularly from growers, councillors, and iwi in the electorate that I represent, particularly in the Hawke\u2019s Bay area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EI put this to the Minister for the Environment: there has been no business case presented that says the Resource Management Act (RMA) is the cause of the housing crisis suffered around this country. There is no business case that the housing crisis requires the Minister to have broad powers to override local plans, which is what this bill is doing. This is what this bill is doing. It is giving the Minister broad powers to override local plans, and that is why Labour cannot support this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EIt was interesting, too, that the Minister talked about Labour\u2019s lack of long-term planning when it comes to housing. Let me make it really clear, Mr Smith: Labour will build 100,000 affordable homes, we will address speculators in the market, and we will provide 5,100 extra emergency beds. That is what I call a comprehensive housing plan, not this dithering around with the RMA, which is there to protect our environment. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u0022c22bfcf14b1246529c01d4d4c36b92a2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c22bfcf14b1246529c01d4d4c36b92a2\u0022\u003ESCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E With the indulgence of the House, I would just like to make a passing comment on the weather events that impacted on my electorate last week and to thank the previous speaker, Meka Whaitiri, for her thanks. I particularly want to acknowledge the first responders, the emergency personnel, who were busy protecting homes, property, and people during a very severe weather event across the Coromandel electorate last week. What we saw were neighbours supporting neighbours, communities supporting communities, and this week we have the sun back out in Coromandel and a big clean-up job ahead of us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EIt is a pleasure for me to rise and support the second reading of the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill, and as the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee, what a big job the select committee did. The previous speaker acknowledged the length of time this bill had been before the select committee. That of itself was not unusual\u2014this is a large, complicated, and enormously important piece of legislation. Nearly 800 submissions were received, we heard from over 200 submitters, and we did a lot of very detailed work on this piece of legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EThis bill, in its form returned from the select committee, is the most significant reform of the Resource Management Act since its inception in 1991. It is the phase two reforms that this Government has been talking about for so long and wanting to bring into the House with the cooperation of our support partners. What it means for New Zealanders is faster, simpler plan-making, thousands fewer consents that will be required, fewer opportunities for appeals, less duplication with other Acts, better management of natural hazards, and increased legal weighting for property rights. These are all good steps for New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EThis bill has some provisions in it relating to iwi participation, and it is to be remembered that iwi participation has been part of the Resource Management Act since the late 1990s, when Winston Peters supported those initiatives. In those days, Winston Peters used to support iwi participation, and now he has changed his mind. These changes will bring about a better level of cooperation and speedy efficiency that will ensure a more effective flow of consenting and processing of applications under the Act. So there will be an area of stronger national direction: standard planning templates and definitions, requirements to provide sufficient development capacity, and new regulation-making powers to avoid duplication with other Acts.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EThe new Act will provide provisions to have stock exclusion rules included. New procedural principles for timely, efficient, cost-effective, and proportionate impacts will be in place. There will be more flexible and faster planning, more effective and efficient engagement with communities, less consenting bureaucracy, and there will be fewer appeals to the Environment Court for certain activities, particularly those activities where residential activities have already been designated as being appropriate in residential zones. It seems silly to allow for appeals in that area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ETo go into minute detail at this stage in this debate is not appropriate. We will have an opportunity to do that during the Committee of the whole House, but this is a good piece of legislation. It has been a lot of work for the select committee. I want to thank members from across the House on the select committee who, notwithstanding their different policy points of view, all engaged, I think, in an effective way to see a good result proceed. I support the second reading of this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u0022a2f2986764ee4244b2b49cf795e88e5a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a2f2986764ee4244b2b49cf795e88e5a\u0022\u003EEUGENIE SAGE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare. Sir Geoffrey Palmer is right: Sir Robert Muldoon\u2019s ghost is back in the Beehive. He is striding the halls of Parliament with this bill. \u201CMuldoonism\u201D was an assault on democratic processes and the rule of law, with legislation like the National Development Act and the Clutha Development (Clyde Dam) Empowering Act. Muldoonism was about the executive making a decision and imposing it by its will. That is what this Resource Legislation Amendment Bill is all about, not only in its content but also in the way in which it is being considered by the select committee and because of the way the Minister dominated the whole select committee process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003ESelect committees are supposed to be Parliament\u2019s workhorses. They are supposed to be places where bills are scrutinised, where public submissions are heard and seriously considered and debated, and then changes are made to the bill as introduced and recommended back to Parliament. The Minister is claiming the select committee worked like that. He was not there, but we in the select committee had to wait 5 months on his pleasure while he negotiated and worked with officials and with the M\u0101ori Party to amend the bill and then have the final departmental report put in front of the select committee. So the select committee process was an absolute sham, and it acted more like a rubber stamp for the Minister rather than being a serious consideration of the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe flimsy speeches by Government members opposite just show how weakly they engaged with the bill. They just waited until the Minister said \u201COh, these provisions are all right.\u201D and then they would approve them. That has been one of the problems with select committees under this Government and the way in which they have been weakened because the executive has dominated the lawmaking process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EBut this is typical of what is actually in the bill as well, because increasing the power of Ministers and centralising decision-making in Wellington and overriding local and community decision-making has been one of the defining characteristics of this Government. We have seen it in the changes to the Local Government Act, we have seen it in Nick Smith\u2019s dismissal of elected councillors in Canterbury, and we are seeing it in this bill with the major increase in the powers that the bill gives to the Minister, particularly the Minister for the Environment, to actually make regulations and then override local and regional councils and their ability to consult their communities and develop plans.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThis bill is all about having development\u2014and how it happens in our towns, cities, and countryside\u2014happen much faster and through new processes where the Minister puts his or her stamp on them and is able to dictate the content of district and regional plans. This bill puts executive power and individual property rights ahead of community and environmental well-being and community decision-making, and it is all about Ministers in Wellington acting to speed up the decision making; it is not about the quality of those decisions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EWe have heard from other speakers about the major opposition\u2014from Fonterra, to Forest and Bird, to Fish and Game New Zealand\u2014to the powers in new section 360D, inserted in clause 105 of the bill, and the Minister\u2019s regulation-making powers. Those provisions in new section 360D have been reduced slightly, but there is still a major power for the Minister to directly insert provisions and plans through the new national planning standards, which were previously called a national planning template. The Minister for the Environment can use those to direct what provisions should be, not just in plans all over New Zealand but in specific regions. If the Minister says that a plan must be amended, then it has to be. Seventy-seven percent of submitters opposed the ability of the Minister to make regulations and then to have these national planning standards insert provisions directly into plans\u201477 percent of submitters\u2014yet that provision is still in the bill. These regional and district plans are critical in guiding the decisions about how development affects our land, our coast, our air, and our water.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EYet the Minister wants the power to directly make decisions on plans in Wellington. In a process where there is considerable potential for abuse, private developers who are applying for private plan changes can apply and get the council and the Minister to agree to a streamlined process, and there may not even be any chance for members of the public to have a say in a hearing in front of the decision makers. Nor is there an ability for members of the public to challenge those decisions through the Environment Court in that streamlined process. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe other major element of new section 360D, inserted in clause 105, that is of concern is the ability of the Minister to use regulations to strike out provisions in plans that he or she considers duplicate or to overlap other legislation. From the start, this has been aimed squarely at those communities such as Northland, Auckland, and Hawke\u2019s Bay, where there are GM-free provisions in their plans. It is aimed at allowing the Minister to remove those provisions in order to allow GM crops to be planted. What this Government fails to recognise is that a major sector of our marketing advantage overseas is because we are GM free, yet through new section 360D, which the M\u0101ori Party has not succeeded in getting removed from the legislation, we potentially undermine that and are able to allow GM planters and others to compromise our GE-free status.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003ENick Smith claims time and time again that this bill is a litmus test on housing affordability. It is nonsense to blame the Resource Management Act (RMA) for the housing crisis that his Government has helped create. He has been the architect of spiralling housing prices by the Government\u2019s failure to recognise and provide for the major increase in demand caused by the 2 percent population growth annually and the major increase in migrant flows, its failure to implement a capital gains tax to control speculation, its failure to encourage intensive urban development by properly investing in public transport so that people build close to rail routes and bus routes, and its failure to amend the Residential Tenancies Act to ensure that renters get a fair deal. It has exacerbated the housing crisis with its sell-off of thousands of State houses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003ENick Smith blames the RMA for high section prices because he wants to hide just how much this bill, with its very permissive approach to subdivision, is a charter for property developers. It could have been written by property developers because of the way in which it promotes ad hoc subdivision and development and urban sprawl, with little consideration of the impacts that this will have on our coast, on waterways, and on neighbours. Nick Smith\u2019s claims about housing and the housing crisis and the need to amend the RMA are based on anecdote, and the regulatory impact statement made that very clear.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThere is no compelling evidence, Minister, that the RMA is to blame for the housing crisis. In the Auckland Unitary Plan, we have provisions that encourage more compact and more intensive development. We do not need this bill to do this. The bill\u2019s permissive approach to subdivision will not apply just in Auckland; it will apply around New Zealand. So unless there are effective plan provisions already in place, we will have much more subdivision occurring in sensitive areas, like on top of our beaches, and potentially in areas like natural hazard zones. What is the point of trying to control housing development in natural hazard zones if you have also got a bill that is encouraging residential development and subdivision as a permitted activity because of the way it overturns the presumption in the current Act that you cannot have subdivision unless there is a resource consent or a plan rule that allows it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe Green Party also opposes this bill because of the way in which it restricts and overrides the basic rights of public participation. It goes against people\u2019s right to have a say on development that affects their neighbourhood or places that they care about. Informed decision-making is good decision-making. A number of submitters, from airport authorities to Fonterra, highlighted the value of public involvement both in plans and on consent decisions. Airport authorities want the ability to make submissions on subdivisions that may be within an area affected by airport noise so that they do not have issues several years hence because of reverse sensitivity and people complaining about airport noise. But under this bill, that is potentially disallowed because of the very permissive approach to subdivision. So it is fast decision-making that the bill emphasises, not good decision-making.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EWe oppose the bill because of restrictions on the right to appeal to the Environment Court and the value that that court has in being a check on decision making. It is a bad bill. It should be binned.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022 data-id=\u0022fb55af819e7d4365aa3e5e7988bc4d09\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fb55af819e7d4365aa3e5e7988bc4d09\u0022\u003EDENIS O\u2019ROURKE (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E This bill is nothing less than the most serious attack on New Zealand\u2019s democracy in my lifetime. It seeks to so limit regional and local government that local councils and communities will become\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229199f8d0e774f46903ddab8748a76c1\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: In the Northland election you said you\u2019d back us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296ec8ffe625e4533a3cb5d4f5f729809\u0022\u003EDENIS O\u2019ROURKE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014planning and policy slaves of the Government executive and its bureaucracy. Nick Smith is protesting, but in fact that is the truth of the matter\u2014councils will be dictated to by ultra-powerful Ministers, especially Nick Smith, intent on their own agendas, with no regard to regional needs for development and with no regard for the diversity of values held by regional communities. It is an anti-regions bill and it is an anti-democratic bill. That is it in a nutshell. There is only one way to stop this, and that is to get rid of this awful National Government this year and also to get rid of the M\u0101ori Party, which is the only reason why the Government can even contemplate this horrible legislation. It is a 1 percent party\u2014a tail trying to wag this dog of a Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002243fc671fdfd242b487b556bf3605ca21\u0022\u003EMarama Fox\u003C/span\u003E: Two percent at the last poll.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002212a86c1e7f5d4b93a568c502eb2564e6\u0022\u003EDENIS O\u2019ROURKE\u003C/span\u003E: It was 1 percent\u2014a 1 percent party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f1fe566b79a74d2dbbc4d68661433ffe\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: How about we get back to the bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2dc4d6e720843dbbd7d79dd80d16acd\u0022\u003EDENIS O\u2019ROURKE\u003C/span\u003E: It is a party not actually interested in preserving local democracy or in regional self-determination on environmental standards, such as the freedom to adopt a regional genetic engineering - free region as a regional development initiative. Instead, the M\u0101ori Party has done deals with Nick Smith behind the scenes so that the Government gets its anti-democratic way while the M\u0101ori Party gets the influence it wants for some M\u0101ori iwi, with useless and unnecessary M\u0101ori participation agreements and mandatory M\u0101ori appointments to a raft of boards, panels, and committees, to further hamstring local government. The M\u0101ori Party has shown, by supporting this bill, that it is willing to accept a thimbleful of special rights for iwi and in return is gifting a bucketful of ministerial power to this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003ENew Zealand First rejects the parallel governance provisions promoted by the M\u0101ori Party in the bill. I am supported in this by a leader, by a caucus, and by a party that includes very significant degrees of M\u0101ori participation and representation. The whole part of the bill on these matters, as far as I am concerned, amounts to a significant constitutional-level change for New Zealand, reached only by way of a shoddy deal between the Minister and the M\u0101ori Party, and we think that is a disgrace. For that reason alone\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224070e7a4c4414aa78fd60237c42563df\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am sorry to interrupt the member, but I should just draw to his attention the fact that if he feels so genuinely enraged about all these things, he should not have to read his speech. So I ask the member to carry on with his speech. He has another 6\u2014nearly 7\u2014minutes to run, but I would appreciate it if he delivered it without having to read it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa38d454a32a49f29f35ed198f4727a2\u0022\u003EDENIS O\u2019ROURKE\u003C/span\u003E: When the bill was introduced, New Zealand First had an open mind and was willing to consider it constructively. New Zealand First wanted to reduce costs and wanted less bureaucracy. In fact, the bill adds more bureaucracy\u2014not less, as has actually been claimed by the Minister. The whole part on special rights for M\u0101ori will add a huge, cumbersome, expensive, and worthless layer of bureaucratic nonsense to an already overcomplicated piece of legislation. The Act is already adequate to ensure M\u0101ori have the consultation that they need and deserve. It is already adequate for those purposes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003ENew Zealand First will never compromise the fundamental purposes of the Act and, therefore, is not willing to admit the parallel governance provisions of the bill. And we are not willing to admit the marginalisation of local government either, nor the introduction of excessive ministerial power in the place of local decision-making. We also deplore the loss of many important appeal rights, to the extent, for example, that airport companies are validly worried about not being able to do anything about reverse sensitivity issues, which often arise as far as their activities are concerned.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003EThe idea that the Resource Management Act (RMA) is behind the housing shortage is an extreme absurdity. It is grossly excessive immigration that is, in fact, the main driver of that, and it is the failure of this Government to actually directly invest in the housing shortage that is behind it. The Resource Management Act has never been one of the major drivers of that. That does not mean that it cannot be improved\u2014we agree with that\u2014but this particular bill will make no difference whatsoever.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003EThe Minister in charge of the bill, Nick Smith, in his rambling and largely incoherent speech last week, used Christchurch as an example of why the bill is needed, but, in fact, the greater availability of residential land as a result of the earthquake had much more to do with this, because it led to huge developments in the Waimakariri and Selwyn districts. The lower prices have got much more to do with the availability of insurance money in Christchurch than anything the Minister claimed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003EThe RMA is our environmental management legislation. It sets the terms for our planning system, so changes to it need to be very carefully\u2014very carefully\u2014considered, and that is not what has happened in this case. Changes need to be based on a high degree of community consensus and with as much cross-party support as possible. The Government has been intent on proceeding with the support of only the M\u0101ori Party and no others. The changes represent crude National Party ideology, with the witless support of a self-centred M\u0101ori Party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003EThe new ministerial regulating powers in new section 360D, in clause 105, and sections 360F and 360G, in clause 151, are thoroughly objectionable, unnecessary, and excessive. They were vigorously opposed by most of the submitters that I heard. They compromise local government so that local government itself will be significantly emasculated. The Minister will be empowered to override local and regional plan making, with major ramifications for regional development. New section 360D empowers the Minister to remove and replace parts of the plan. That overrides the right of communities and local authorities to regulate land uses, such as, for example, the use of a genetically modified - free zone for a region that wants to do that. Why should they not be permitted to do so if that is what they see for their future?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003EA one-size-fits-all approach is apparently intended, but it is not suitable for most parts of New Zealand. Regional diversity is one of New Zealand\u2019s great strengths. As Fonterra said in its submission: \u201CThese provisions can detract from local decision making on local issues; compromise the principles of natural justice for stakeholders; and compromise robust resource management decision making.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003EThree-quarters of submitters supported a national planning template, but not mandatory content in plans. The bill significantly limits public participation rights in both plan making and consenting decisions, and that is the flaw. Similarly, the streamlined planning process gives the Minister the power in plan making while restricting public involvement. The Minister determines the process. He can make sure that there is no hearing. He has the final approval rights, and there are, actually, no appeal rights. It could not be a worse process as far as local communities are concerned.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003ECollaborative planning processes are simply not properly developed in this bill and are likely to create local problems, more expense, and delays for local councils, and that is not the objective of this bill, nor should it be. This bill is extremely bad for New Zealand\u2019s local democracy. It is even worse for a comprehensive and robust and fair resource management system, especially for regional New Zealand. It is actually worse still, because it provides for special rights for M\u0101ori, which should never be incorporated in a bill of this kind. That is against, and totally contrary to, New Zealand\u2019s local government and democratic position. This bill, for all those reasons, should not pass. New Zealand First will vote against it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022 data-id=\u0022f054e437f5b347b7959775ce13ebbd4b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f054e437f5b347b7959775ce13ebbd4b\u0022\u003EANDREW BAYLY (National\u2014Hunua):\u003C/span\u003E Before I start, I too just want to acknowledge what has been going on, particularly in my electorate of Hunua and also in west Auckland and Coromandel, with the extreme floods that we have had up there. I just want to acknowledge the fantastic work of all the fire services, the police, the contractors clearing the roads, etc., and the way the community all came together to help one another.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EI just want to pick up a little bit around what the previous speaker, Denis O\u2019Rourke, has just been raising. He made the claim that New Zealand First came to the select committee hearings willing to consider this bill constructively. I do just want to point out that I understand that the Rt Hon Winston Peters waltzed around Northland telling everyone that he would support National in passing a Resource Management Act bill. Why is it that when I read the report from New Zealand First, it is opposed to virtually everything in this bill? Not just one thing, but virtually everything. I have got to say, if we are talking about how we say and keep our word, this is something that National is continuing to do with this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EI just want to spend a little bit of time talking about the \u201CMana Whakahono a Rohe\u201D, otherwise known as the \u201CIwi Participation Arrangements\u201D. Courts have previously determined that iwi have a right to be involved in consents. That is a long-established legal precedent that has been tested, and it is a legal issue. It is case law. One of the other things that courts have defined is that iwi have a right to be involved in consents\u2014not enforcement and not in monitoring, but they have a legal right to be involved in consents.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003ESo what this bill seeks to achieve is to actually clarify those rights. What it does is it sets out the arrangement by which either party, being either the council or the iwi or the hap\u016B, may enter into an agreement. I use the word \u201Cmay\u201D, and the word \u201Cmay\u201D is actually in the bill. It is not a compulsory thing. Furthermore, there is no legal obligation on the council to actually sign an agreement with an iwi or hap\u016B. Unfortunately, some members of the Local Government and Environment Committee and this House do not spend the time looking at the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EOne other thing I just want to draw your attention to is that there is a specific clause in the bill that precludes any possibility\u2014which some members have asserted\u2014that councils will be held to ransom if they do not sign an agreement. There is a specific clause in the bill that says that iwi cannot continue to withhold consent from consents while negotiation processes are under way. Those are very powerful conditions and clauses set out in this bill, but, unfortunately, a lot of the debate that we hear from members in this House is ill-informed and, in fact\u2014worse than that; worse than being ill-informed\u2014just downright mischievous.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022 data-id=\u002227a1e19349654ba38c4f66be5aa47c1c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002227a1e19349654ba38c4f66be5aa47c1c\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: The next call is a split call. Julie Anne Genter\u20145 minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022 data-id=\u0022e113190e645246f1a601b4dedf60a9f0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e113190e645246f1a601b4dedf60a9f0\u0022\u003EJULIE ANNE GENTER (Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou e Te Whare. Before I came into Parliament, I worked as an urban and transportation planner. I am really passionate about the opportunity we have to create cities that are better for people, that protect our environment, that make good use of infrastructure, that have affordable housing, and that ensure not only that we are we going to reduce our climate pollution but also that we will be more resilient to extreme weather events in the future, because the reality is that the flooding we saw in the past few days is something that will be happening more as a result of climate change, and we need to have a plan for how we are going to have infrastructure to deal with that and how it is going to be funded. Our current Government is completely neglecting to address those problems and issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThis bill is passing by only a very narrow majority. I think that is a real shame because there have been calls across the board for a review of the Resource Management Act (RMA). The original architect, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, called for a royal commission of inquiry to ensure that we had a broad-based, evidence-based review of the legislation so that we could improve it and solve some of the ongoing systemic issues with it. The Green Party would support a royal commission of inquiry. But the Minister and the National Government have been reluctant to engage in a broad-based debate about how we can make resource legislation work better for everyone. They want to do it their way, and they are going to do it their way, and it is not a good bill. In fact, the vast majority of submitters\u2014there were 647 unique submissions on this bill\u2014made very similar points. Fish and Game New Zealand, the Environmental Defence Society, and Forest and Bird made similar points to people like Fonterra, quarry operators, and infrastructure operators. Many of them described the proposed ministerial regulation-making powers as excessive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThe bill that is before us today is not one that we can vote for. It is not being supported by the Labour Party or New Zealand First either. I think that the public should be very concerned about the one-sided approach that the National Government is taking to reforming resource management law, because it is something that affects everyone in this country. New Zealanders do want to protect the environment, and they do want planning and resource legislation law to be smoother\u2014to operate in a more coherent way\u2014and this bill is not going to achieve that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EWe can see, from the great number of submitters that noted huge problems with it, that it is simply not going to solve the problems that the Government is claiming it will solve\u2014most notably, that is housing affordability. The Minister claims that housing is unaffordable uniquely because of the RMA, and that is just rubbish. There is a whole number of factors that are influencing house prices. Some of them have to do with demand. If the Government had instituted a capital gains tax on investment properties, and if it had restricted the sale of real estate to New Zealand citizens and residents, that would have helped with housing affordability. Additionally, if it actually passed some laws to protect tenants\u2014to ensure there was a warrant of fitness on rental properties\u2014that would help reduce house prices and address the issues, which is that people do not have enough money to afford a place to live, whether they are renting or buying in Auckland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EFinally, they could be improving planning rules. One of my greatest passions is improving planning rules. I wish that the Minister understood just how much the land supply problem is related to unhelpful planning rules that prohibit increased density from being provided, because nothing in this bill is going to address that\u2014nothing in this bill is going to address that. In fact, the Minister constantly conflates issues with planning rules with the RMA. The planning rules are determined by councils. If the Minister used national policy statements and national environmental standards to a greater degree and undertook the sort of consultation that is needed, then we might have better planning rules.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EFinally, the Green Party would support a national policy statement on urban design to ensure that we have high-quality, people-oriented urban development. It also needs to be championed by the public sector. We need a public sector - led development agency. Just look at Hobsonville. The highest-quality development that has happened in Auckland recently is in Hobsonville. It was led under the Labour Government, with the local council\u2014a public-private partnership, but master planned, and that is what we need more of in Auckland, not this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022 data-id=\u0022b490e8810c954e468bfc23715ac8ba3d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b490e8810c954e468bfc23715ac8ba3d\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon Ruth Dyson\u20145 minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u0022f68fa4974cec4d94b9a5be014786b00f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f68fa4974cec4d94b9a5be014786b00f\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON (Labour\u2014Port Hills):\u003C/span\u003E There has been a bit of a theme running through the National Government over recent times. That is the theme of: \u201CThey know everything and everybody else is wrong.\u201D That is exactly what the scrambled thinking of the Minister, the Hon Nick Smith, and the total lack of leadership of the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Bill English, has demonstrated in this legislation. The Resource Legislation Amendment Bill is being used as an opportunity to reduce public input into decisions that have a major impact on the amenities and the environment in which we live, and the Auckland housing crisis is being used as the excuse. It is very hard to justify given that the Minister consistently denies there is a housing crisis in Auckland, let alone spreading throughout the rest of the country, but there clearly is. Then he says: \u201CBecause of this housing crisis, which does not exist, we are going to gut the Resource Management Act even further.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI remember when the resource management legislation was introduced into New Zealand. For the first time, we had a change from the old town-planning regime of rules and regulations and we moved to an effects-based piece of legislation. It was a big challenge, but people were interested in looking not just at rules but at the impacts of development, the way that our cities and our rural towns could be friendlier to families and their citizens, and the way that we could develop our infrastructure in a manner respectful to the environment. Those are tensions that are hard to meet, and the Resource Management Act sought to do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThe whole of Parliament agreed on that legislation. Of course, at that stage, there were only two political parties here\u2014it was before the start of MMP\u2014but it was supported by the whole of Parliament. In my view, something as important as the rules around developments that have an impact on our lives should be supported by the overwhelming majority of Parliament, if not by the whole of it, instead of this bill, which is going to just squeak through in what I think has been a pretty shabby deal. I say that with respect to the M\u0101ori Party. I do not agree with the deal that has been done having more merit than the damage that is being done by the rest of the legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThe resource management amendment Acts introduced by the Government since 2008 have just continually reduced the opportunity for ordinary citizens and communities to have a say in what is happening in their area. In Christchurch, the combination of the 2009 resource management amendment, combined with the central government imposition of a truncated and restricted input, let alone appeal of district plan changes, have caused communities to feel disempowered and tricked, and they have been by this Government\u2014they have been. We no longer have the valid say on developments in our area that we used to. This is bad for local democracy. It is bad for the empowerment of citizens.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EAnyone in this Parliament would, I am sure, sit around a table with the relevant Ministers and say \u201CWhat are the problems with the Resource Management Act, and how can we work together to sensibly fix them?\u201D, but that is not what the Minister does. The Minister, who knows everything, sits in his ivory tower totally ignoring all the contributions to this legislation. These are not fringe groups here\u2014we had Local Government New Zealand, we had regional and district councils, we had Fonterra, we had Fulton Hogan Ltd, we had airport owners, we had the New Zealand Law Society, we had the Environmental Defence Society, we had Forest and Bird, and we had Fish and Game New Zealand. It was a pretty broad range of submitters, and they all opposed the legislation. But the Minister would say, from his ivory tower: \u201CI know best. They are all wrong.\u201D Well, Minister, I do not agree with that. I think that in this Parliament we should listen to submitters, particularly when a broad range such as I just outlined come in and say \u201CThis is a bad bill.\u201D, and that is what they all said\u2014\u201CThis is a bad bill.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EWe could improve the Resource Management Act in a way that all New Zealanders would benefit from, but cutting citizens\u2019 voices out of democratic processes and blaming the Auckland housing crisis is not the way to do it. It does demonstrate a scrambled way of thinking from the Minister and a total lack of leadership from the Prime Minister. We need more solutions working together, not this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022 data-id=\u0022d2fc307564c74c528bd079682af30a2c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d2fc307564c74c528bd079682af30a2c\u0022\u003EJOANNE HAYES (National):\u003C/span\u003E I stand to refute everything that that member across the House, the Hon Ruth Dyson, has just said, because I believe that the changes that are coming through this bill are going to be very beneficial for all councils and all the people of this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EWe have taken a two-phase approach to reforming the Resource Management Act (RMA). The first round was the implementation of the Environmental Protection Authority. Through that, the authority was able to deal with nationally significant infrastructure consents. It was able to speed up that process. Through this first round, there has been the opportunity for it to tighten up around enforcement and to look at fines for non-compliance. There are so many great things that the Environmental Protection Authority has done in the first round of the RMA process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EOur second round included some interesting points, because, contrary to what the Greens said about better planning, this particular bill has given an opportunity for excellent planning\u2014not just better planning but some excellent planning\u2014within both regional and local councils. We have also looked at the consenting process\u2014making that process much simpler for organisations and for individuals to actually get their consents through the council. We are recognising affordable housing areas. We all know that there is a housing shortage in this country, and through this bill our Minister, the Hon Nick Smith, has done an amazing job in addressing the consenting processes for affordable housing. We need housing in our big cities and in other cities in this country, and this bill is actually going to speed up that process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EThere have been other areas within this bill that my colleagues have covered, especially the member Andrew Bayly, around te Mana Whakahono \u0101 Rohe. I just want to remind the House that it is in law\u2014as in l-a-w, not as in l-o-r-e. So when I start to look at this bill, I see its alignment to the other Acts, and, therefore, there is a smooth transition for the passing of this bill and for it to be fully enacted. I have no hesitation but to commend it to the House. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022b8e1f450fcd74607ad7866ac2f78801d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b8e1f450fcd74607ad7866ac2f78801d\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Labour\u2014Te Atat\u016B):\u003C/span\u003E Nick Smith has tried to sell this bill as a way to fix the housing crisis, but the claim just does not stack up. It is so typical of much of what the Minister brings to the House, in that it is overcooked and the bill does not deliver on any of the promises that the Minister made when he so fancifully organised a press conference in front of a 3-metre-high pile of what were allegedly Resource Management Act (RMA) planning documents. So, although Nick Smith has continually tinkered with the RMA over the last 8 years\u2014and, absolutely, this bill that we are debating today is more tinkering, although I would characterise it as harmful tinkering because it has many negative consequences\u2014in that 8 years in Government, and after 10 years of blaming the RMA and blaming councils for expensive housing, he has done nothing substantive to tackle the real causes of expensive housing that lie within the planning system and the land-use system. He has done nothing about those things, and I am going to talk about those in detail.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003ELet us consider the claim that Nick Smith continually makes: that the RMA is to blame for expensive housing. We only have to look at the numbers. Between 2004\u2014the last big peak in terms of consenting rates and build rates\u2014and 2016, the number of consents fell by 18 percent. There was an 18 percent reduction in the number of consents between 2004 and 2016. The same RMA was in place, but the value of consents over that period almost doubled. So the cost of building increased by 94 percent; the average cost per square metre increased by 96 percent. It was the same RMA in 2004 as in 2016, but during that time the number of consents between the 2004 peak and the current level of building that the Minister constantly likes to brag about in this House actually fell by 18 percent, even though build costs doubled. In that time, the RMA has stayed the same. So it is obvious that Nick Smith\u2019s love of blaming the RMA and blaming councils for being the overwhelming problem behind the housing crisis is just pure spin.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EWhat does this bill do to fix the housing crisis? What does it actually do? Let us have a look. There are three main things that the bill does that Nick Smith claims will reduce the cost of housing. The first is that it gives Draconian ministerial regulatory powers to override council plans, control consents, and limit the rights of people, communities, and their elected representatives to have a say in the planning process. Secondly, it gives the Minister the power to set standardised plan formats and definitions\u2014which we do not have a problem with, but it goes much further, and that is the problem. It gives Nick Smith the power to dictate the content and the substance of the plans that are developed by local councils. It is Draconian, it is Muldoonist, and we oppose it for those reasons. It also gives the Minister rule-making powers that are far, far too broad, and David Parker spoke eloquently about that earlier today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003ENick Smith\u2019s impulse\u2014his whole instinct\u2014in trying to deal with this issue is to take powers away from councils and local communities and give them to himself. It is all about the centralisation of regulatory power in the executive arm of Government and, in particular, in the hands of that Minister. But this is the thing about this bill: it undermines and adds complexity to the RMA, and it takes power away from citizens and their communities and their elected representatives to have a say in the planning and land-use decisions in their local communities. To dress this up as some kind of solution to the housing crisis and the failure of our biggest city to properly manage its growth is audacious in its spin, even for Nick Smith.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThe really crazy thing about the incessant tinkering by this Minister with the RMA\u2014and after a decade of Nick Smith and Bill English blaming councils and blaming the RMA for the problems of expensive housing and the failure to properly manage urban growth\u2014is that all of his tinkering up until now and this bill do nothing to tackle the actual root causes of expensive urban land and expensive housing that lie within the planning system. The core problem is that we have a highly restrictive planning system that stops cities making room for growth. It stops them growing up and it stops them growing out, and when you do that, only one thing happens: the prices go up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003ENow, there are three parts to the problem. One is the excessive restrictions on height and density that stop cities from growing up. The second is an urban growth boundary where even the poorest urban growth boundary that can sometimes change and expand, like the one in the Auckland Unitary Plan, still rations the supply of new land for development. It drip-feeds new land into a speculative land market, which ensures that urban land prices are always very high. That is the core problem that we have in the urban land markets, which are so much of a problem, particularly in Auckland. That is a factor of the urban growth boundary being so restrictive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThe third issue is that the system that we have in this country for financing new infrastructure for development is broken. Central government does not want to fund it, councils cannot fund it because they are up against their debt ceilings, and developers struggle to be the middle man for the finance that is needed to lay the infrastructure down for new developments. The system is broken. Those three issues desperately need reform, but this Minister has done nothing about it, and this bill contributes nothing to fixing those three problems. All it does is tinker with the planning process and put more power in the hands of the Minister and take it away from local councils and local communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EIn 8 years, what has the Government done about this? It likes to claim responsibility for the Auckland Unitary Plan, but that is not its work; that is Auckland Council\u2019s work, and, at best, that is a small, incremental improvement in the problems that I have been outlining. The Minister published a national policy statement that was a wasted opportunity to fix these problems. It has simply put in place a bureaucratic mechanism that tells councils to introduce, to drip-feed incrementally, bits of new land into a highly speculative land market. It does nothing to solve the core problem. In terms of the infrastructure logjam, the best that the National Government could come up with was a $1 billion line of credit\u2014cheap credit\u2014for councils that are already up against their debt ceiling. They are already too indebted. It is like offering a bottle of water to a drowning man. That is Nick Smith\u2019s response to the infrastructure logjam. So this does nothing to fix those problems.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EBy contrast, Labour has put on the table bold and creative solutions to break the logjam for infrastructure financing. We have proposed bond financing, paid back by a targeted rate, which is supported by the Productivity Commission. It draws on international models of best practice that would cut councils out of the picture and give developers access to the cheapest possible credit through international bond finance that would be paid back by the landowners in that development over the lifetime of the asset. Our policy is to replace the urban growth boundary completely with more intensive spatial planning that will allow cities to grow and that will allow the market in land and the construction industry to be responsive to demand, to build houses when people want them, because the planning regime that this Minister defends does not allow that to happen, and that is at the core of the problem we have got. This bill is Draconian. It does nothing to solve the core problems that we face. It is just more tinkering by this Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022 data-id=\u00224f2e9468d320410c899fa4ea3fe2cd0b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224f2e9468d320410c899fa4ea3fe2cd0b\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY (National\u2014Waimakariri):\u003C/span\u003E It is a pleasure and an honour to rise in wholehearted support of the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill in its second reading. I must say, what a very subdued Phil Twyford. In fact, can I reflect\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e4397a2adcd484d904f925b82729b28\u0022\u003EScott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: No passion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff5bfd17c59941b7907b9f3bbc9bfcee\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: No, exactly\u2014no passion; no belief, I think. You can just imagine Mr Twyford and the other Opposition members of Parliament being given their comms notes for this bill this morning and thinking: \u201CReally? Is that what I\u2019m going to have to say to a bill that will remove livestock from waterways, that will simplify planning rules and bring in national planning templates as well as improve capacity planning for much-needed residential housing?\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EWhen I reflect on what has happened in the Waimakariri since the earthquakes\u2014under the Land Use Recovery Plan, the Government was able to step in and free up land. What we know is that when we free up land, it increases supply, which equals demand. When you look at needing some space for 18,000 houses\u2014we have gone on to rebuild 23,000 houses, with annual house price inflation of only 1 or 2 percent. It shows, quite rightly, that when the authorities start to plan ahead and think about some of the constraints through land, which are restricting housing for many New Zealanders\u2014that is the answer and that is exactly what this bill will do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EThis is the second reading. We went through the select committee stage\u2014and I must acknowledge the very hard-working Scott Simpson, who is the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee\u2014for a very big bill. We dealt with 764 submissions. Let us not forget our former deputy chair, Sarah Dowie, and our new deputy chair, Andrew Bayly, for shepherding this bill through the legislative process. There were 86 submissions from businesses, 544 from individuals, 57 from local government, and 44 from environmental and community groups.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EI just want to finish with a quote from one of the submissions, from Dame Margaret Bazley from Environment Canterbury. She talks about supporting this bill, \u201Cincluding the addition of significant risks from natural hazards as a matter of national importance\u201D, as well as \u201Cthe new function for regional councils to ensure sufficient development capacity to meet long-term demand for urban development.\u201D The submission also goes on to say that Environment Canterbury supports the two proposed new planning process options and the provisions for involving iwi in policy and plan development. That is why, in this second reading, I support this bill in the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments recommended by the Local Government and Environment Committee by majority be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022b926db08d4bd451280a5f1f76a5a7acc\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the question be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 61\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 59\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 14; New Zealand First 12; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EQuestion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022e64fd2e3b7354859a6f9b3a02d51e205\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill be now read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 61\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 59\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 14; New Zealand First 12; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBill read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022978a65a8a68d4a1f844968b23b25c6a0\u0022\u003ETaxation (Annual Rates for 2016-17, Closely Held Companies, and Remedial Matters) Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022395fea0d466948f6a1c7de242e3943bc\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022992ffd0625a8463ba758101dfdaedb9f\u0022\u003EPart 1  Annual rates of income tax\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022d772d9773c3e4f4b8934e67407848080\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d772d9773c3e4f4b8934e67407848080\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH (Labour\u2014Napier):\u003C/span\u003E Part 1 of this bill is concerned solely with one thing and that is the annual tax rates for the 2016-17 tax year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221de92af21a8547f4b3030f7ddf01be4c\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Which year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c2691677f9042518fdd2bc74fc7624d\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: The 2016-17 tax year. The 2016 tax year started about 6 months ago, so what we are doing is implementing retrospective legislation\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f6e70cb8f70a4d838109104e19df47b3\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: I think 9 months ago.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223870aaabfde0422c923e4136c84956f7\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Nine months ago. You are right, Ruth. We are implementing retrospective taxation on the most important part of the tax system, and that is how much money we actually pay as salary and wage earners.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWhat we have seen with tax legislation\u2014in the time that the Minister in the chair, Michael Woodhouse, was the revenue Minister and in the time the new Minister has been in place\u2014is a whole lot of legislation come through the select committee in little bits and pieces. The fact that we are only doing this now just shows, in my view, that there is a real lack of policy intent here. I would have thought one of the first things that the Government would want to do after the Budget\u2014when was the Budget delivered? May, I think it was\u2014May last year. So we are talking quite a long time ago. In fact, what we are actually doing now is preparing for the next Budget, which I think is only a couple of months away. The next Budget, in a couple of months, will be codified in legislation in a bill like this, which will have a Part 1, and Part 1 will be talking about the annual rates of income tax for the 2017-18 tax year. But let us hope that they do not wait for 9 months to get here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWhat are these rates we are talking about? Well, the surprising thing is that the vast majority of Kiwis who actually pay tax are wage and salary earners, but if you went out onto the street and did a vox pop and said \u201CWhat are the tax rates?\u201D, I guarantee that the vast majority of Kiwis would not know. They might know that the top tax rate is 33 percent. They might know that that was dropped from 39 percent down to 33 percent in the middle of a financial crisis, as GST was increased. But they will not know, for example, that on the first dollar earned you actually pay 10.5 percent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo the first tax rate, from zero dollars to $14,000, is 10.5 percent. That is unusual. The reason I say that that is unusual is that in a whole lot of countries, actually, there is a tax-free threshold. I think that in Australia it is about $18,000, but it is certainly significant. Then, between $14,001 and $48,000 the tax rate increases to 17.5 percent. So what the effective tax rate is between $14,000 and $48,000 is actually 10.5 percent to 15.5 percent, depending where you are on that scale. Then, for $48,001 to $70,000, I would be interested to know how many people know what the tax rate is. Does anyone here\u2014Mr Scott, do you know what the tax rate is? See, that is a classic case. Does the ex-revenue Minister\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225fc96ed0c34e4e8283c2d8d05cbe4175\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m sure the Minister knows.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002250c303bbbdb044048daf511f3bcfd00e\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014what would you say it is, Mr Woodhouse? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220931065720c148e49c38cccb94e0e9c6\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: 30.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022628df4bf19064d4dad721521d889c673\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Well done\u2014he did know. It is 30 percent. My point here is that the vast majority of New Zealanders do not actually know what their tax rate is. The reason they do not know that is that they trust the Government to get it right, and so they should\u2014and so they should. The last thing we want to do is to erode confidence in the tax system. The annual tax rates are one of the fundamental pieces of tax legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ELet us go a little bit further. Who knows what the rate is\u2014well, I talked about this. Over $70,000, the tax rate is 33 percent. We know this, and I am making a whole lot of assumptions here. I am making a whole lot of assumptions, that, for example, someone is not paying secondary tax. The rate changes for secondary tax.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022114534e4f0254f3ba446970ab1284187\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: No it doesn\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d40a8ca3b534344a16d359fab2fac2a\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes it does, Mr Woodhouse, and you know that. You pay secondary tax at, I think, 45 percent. There is a reason for secondary tax, because what happened before secondary tax was introduced was that people were working two jobs. Let us make an assumption: when someone works two jobs, it is not because they love working 20 hours a week; it is out of economic necessity. So what was happening is they were paying these rates that I read out for this job, and exactly the same rates I read out for this job over here. But how the tax system works is that you combine your total income and you pay tax on that total income.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo what might have happened, and, in fact, what did happen\u2014I think they estimate that 200,000 New Zealanders pay secondary tax. So what was happening was someone was earning, let us say, $30,000 for one job and paying 17.5 percent, top tax rate, on that. Then, for another job, they were earning, say, $35,000, and they were paying the same 17.5 percent on that. But when you combined that income, at $65,000, they should have been paying 30c on every dollar over that $48,000. So it is about $17,000 where they should have been paying 30 percent but they were only paying 17.5 percent. What happened was that often those who were the most disenfranchised ended up with a really big tax bill at the end of the year, which was deemed to be unfair and I completely agree with that. You know, if you are struggling to make ends meet, and the IRD comes to you and says \u201CFor that last $17,000 you have underpaid your tax by a few hundred dollars\u201D\u2014and it normally arrived at a really inconvenient time, when the car had blown up, or the kids were starting school, or the donations had increased at your local primary school. People just were not paying it. There is nothing worse, take it from me, than having a tax bill that you cannot pay.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWhat happens with that is that it accrues penalties and interest, and what starts as, actually, a small amount\u2014and the Minister in the chair knows this\u2014can actually explode into a significant amount due to the penalties and interest. The interest payment on non-payment of tax\u2014it used to be about 10 percent, if not more. I am not too sure whether the Minister in the chair\u2014was there any? I think there was some revision done around penalty tax interest rates, because it was just so high that it was becoming extortionary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eeb24cd3586f4e0697d13dae3e5c3205\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: In this bill? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022455712b4bfb942d5af562a9ac4b36d15\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: No, no; in general. This bill still does cover the rate of secondary tax, there is no doubt about that. We are entering a stage where technology needs to be able to address these issues, and so what I am hoping is that when we are debating the 2017-18 tax-year rates there is no secondary tax rate in there. The reason I say that is that the IRD is spending $1.5 billion\u2014let me say that again: $1.5 billion; that is a lot of money\u2014on a whole new IT system. It is called the Business Transformation project. What we should be able to do with that is capture all the data from workers so they pay the right amount of tax at that point in time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWhat a lot of people also do not know is the IRD owes New Zealanders $700 million. [Interruption] That rolls over every 4 years\u2014it is true, Minister. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251a80df941cd43f5a0d6514d87da5439\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: I know. I\u2019m not denying it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f505dadba81d410386027c10868babad\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. And that rolls over every 4 years. I am aware that a lot of that money\u2014not all of it, but a lot of that money\u2014is actually little bits of rats and mice that are owed to people who have paid secondary tax but have not claimed it. There is a classic case: very good friends of mine employed an IT administrator. They convinced her to phone up WooHoo, or one of those tax refund companies, and see. She said: \u201CI don\u2019t know. No, there\u2019d be nothing there.\u201D In the end, she did anyway, and she ended up with a refund of $300. The reason she had that is that she had paid secondary tax because she was working two jobs, and I am just thinking that at that point in time, although the $300 was fantastic in her back pocket, I think she probably would have liked that $300 at the point in time at which she earned it. What we are really hoping for is that the next time we debate a Part 1 in the next tax bill there will be no secondary tax figure, because the IRD\u2019s Business Transformation system will have sorted this out and addressed it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI am going back to the annual rates of income tax. When we are talking about 2016-17 year, of course, we are talking about the Government\u2019s fiscal year, which goes from 31 June to 1 July. Again, these tax rates have not changed since\u2014oh, when did the Government drop the tax rate? Was it 2009?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d7d376b21cc4fc7bb57d234f5308ccb\u0022\u003EIain Lees-Galloway\u003C/span\u003E: I don\u2019t know. They dropped it and then they put it back up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c36cfdcd4c97450380dbdd4bfadd1ff6\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, they dropped it. That was the promise when Mr Key said: \u201CRead my lips\u2014I will not increase GST.\u201D And then he went ahead and said: \u201COh, well, no. I was just kidding. Of course I\u2019m going to increase GST.\u201D But he had to increase GST. It was not the fact that he broke a promise because, you know, he just liked breaking promises. He had to increase GST, because they had lost so much\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0648e22bb4f4faa83b01cec85a11241\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! GST is not part of Part 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b31deea5cae48a887d37d28881d4889\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, sorry, Mr Chair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229dce1c7397241129a7172330ea16707\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: This is a very narrow debate. It is on clause 3, so it is a very narrow debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002279d220be981b4ee08372426d25f6d7c4\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Clause 1, Mr Chair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223424f219d98f46e88bc035260b1c1a32\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Part 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226aea72c9ff2f4113a7f6bf808d8b190d\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Part 1. Oh, sorry, you are right, Mr Chair\u2014clause 3. But the reason that these income tax rates drop to the level they are in clause 3 is that the Government needed to make up money from the rates that were dropped\u2014the top rate from 39 percent down to 33 percent\u2014which is where it is at the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThere is not too much more I can say on this\u2014and I am sure a couple of my colleagues will jump up and talk about the inequity in these, but\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u002287927effaaff40f5afd5e12cfb6354d0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002287927effaaff40f5afd5e12cfb6354d0\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E I would like to pick up where my colleague Stuart Nash left off. Part 1 of this bill, of course, relates to the annual rates of income tax for the 2016-17 tax year. Those who are observant will notice that we are getting close to the end of the 2016-17 tax year, which demonstrates the shambles that this Government finds itself in, that it is retrospectively legislating for the tax year that is just about finished. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EI was interested to look at what proportion of the overall tax take income tax actually makes up, because, as Stuart Nash was pointing out, there was that tax shift between income tax rates. There was the lowering of the top personal tax rate, which, of course, is 33c in the dollar\u2014that was brought down from 36c to 33c in the dollar\u2014and that was offset by an increase to the rates of GST. The most recent data that I could find goes back to 2013-14, and if this is inaccurate because times have moved on\u2014if things have changed since then, it would be helpful if the Minister could respond to this. But back in 2013-14, income tax, which this Part 1 sets and is setting retrospectively, made up 41 percent of the overall tax take, and it is the largest proportion of the overall tax take, which means, you know, we rely very, very heavily on salary and wage earners\u2014working people\u2014to pay the largest chunk of the overall tax take.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EOf course, we have no wealth taxes in New Zealand. We have personal income taxes, and we have corporate taxes, withholding taxes, GST, and indirect taxes and levies such as ACC, fuel excise taxes, etc. We have no wealth tax, and that means that we demand an awful lot of working people\u2014people who are on those moderate incomes, paying maybe the 30 percent rate\u2014to make up 41 percent of the overall tax take. And, of course, 33 percent of the overall tax take comes from GST, which is, again, predominantly paid by ordinary working people when they go to the supermarket and buy their groceries.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003ESo when this Part 1\u2014clause 3 here, in Part 1 of this bill\u2014reaffirms the personal tax take, it reaffirms this Government\u2019s demand of working people to pay the vast majority of taxes. Corporate taxes make up only 13 percent of the overall tax take. So when this Government reduces the top tax rate and increases the GST rate, what it is actually doing is increasing the burden of the tax take on ordinary families. They are those who are struggling just to make ends meet, those who used to be able to afford to buy a house but for whom that is becoming an unrealistic dream, and those who just want to be able to put food on the table for the kids, who just want to be able to pay the rent, and who want to be able to pay the power bill, the gas bill, etc. Those are the people who are paying the bulk of taxes in New Zealand, because the rates of personal income tax, as set by clause 3 of this bill back in 2013-14\u2014it may be more or it may be less now, but I do not know; the Minister would probably be able to enlighten us on that\u2014make up 41 percent of the overall tax take, alongside 33 percent of GST.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EAnd, of course, a sizable proportion of that is made up from secondary tax. Secondary tax had its place when people were predominantly working in one job. But these days we do see more and more people working multiple jobs, working part-time, being on contract work and what have you, or maybe receiving a benefit and working a few hours a week, and that attracts secondary tax, often for people who have the least and who struggle from week to week to be able to pay the bills and make ends meet. That is why secondary tax really has become a thing of the past, and a Government that was progressive and forward-thinking would have its eyes firmly fixed on removing that secondary tax take. I think I will conclude my contribution at that point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022 data-id=\u0022bce5f0673ac74bacbe8e604b827ea157\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bce5f0673ac74bacbe8e604b827ea157\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E As a member of the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC), I will say firstly something positive about this bill, given we have dispatched a number of tax bills\u2014and, in fact, I have almost lost count of how many tax bills the committee has dispatched over the life of this Parliament. I will say that this is a better-quality bill, in terms of how it is put together, than bills we have dealt with in the past. I recollect\u2014just as a brief sidebar\u2014the brightline test, which was a complete shambles of legislation. I had never seen a tax bill where every accounting firm in New Zealand\u2014the \u201Cbig five\u201D and the rest\u2014came in and said: \u201CThis won\u2019t work.\u201D I recall other tax bills that we have dealt with through the FEC, such as the former Minister of Revenue\u2019s bill around car-parks and computers, and all that sort of thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EI just say in passing that the thing that has always worried me about these particular bills, speaking from my 18 years in this place and having been on the FEC a few times for a few of those years, is the way Ministers\u2019 offices are dealing with these bills and some of the quirky, colourful, bizarre, and sometimes idiotic ideas that emanate from the bowels of the bureaucracy. In the past they would never have hit a Minister\u2019s desk. They would never have hit a Minister\u2019s desk, or, if they had hit a Minister\u2019s desk, they would have had a lot of robust thinking and policy work around them. I mean no disrespect as such, particularly to the IRD, but when you lose people like former Deputy Commissioner of Inland Revenue Robin Oliver, whom I had the pleasure to hear submissions from when I was chair of the FEC\u2014the advice that one received around these bills, the process, and the quality of the legislation was extremely high. But I say that this bill is an improvement on some of the legislation that has been rushed through in an ad hoc way, where, as I said, even the \u201Cbig five\u201D accounting firms have in the past been derisory in their views of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EClause 3 is self-evident. I do not think the ratings for the show this afternoon in terms of parliamentary listening will go through the roof as we progress through the Committee stage of this bill, but I will pick up on a couple of things that other colleagues have said. There is a principle around when you are setting tax rates. When you have a tax system, the tax system has to be simple and transparent\u2014simple so that people can deal with it, and transparent so that it is easy to understand, you can work within the system, and, hopefully, the system can work for you and is accountable. But, as other colleagues have said, when the Government chose to reduce tax rates, one of the things that I think it forgot was this issue of equity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EThere was an opportunity in terms of equity and fairness, as this bill was put together, to examine and look at the whole of the tax pie\u2014to look at who is paying what and, as my colleague Iain Lees-Galloway said, where the major burden of tax lies. He pointed out that 13 percent of our tax take is corporate. Some would argue that that is particularly low. The Government has made much of cracking down\u2014or attempting or at least talking about it, or blowing a lot of hot air in respect of cracking down. I notice these multinational companies that, in the Government\u2019s view, do not pay their fair share of tax. You know, we wait with bated breath to see those proposals. I would have thought I might have seen them with the previous Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne, who I think holds the record, as I had said before, as the longest-serving revenue Minister in the Commonwealth.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002202a44c07025c4369b265c252a9fc5bce\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Back to clause 3.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002202fd5d0e9e064498b72d1d8c15819829\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE\u003C/span\u003E: We may have seen some of those\u2014well, it is quite germane, and I will tell you why it is germane, Mr Chair. It is germane because when you put it together in Part 1, clause 3, you are confirming a set of tax rates, and the question is: are those tax rates fair? It is germane when the Government has purported, as I say, to make much of its so-called attempts to see whether multinational companies should pay their share of tax. That is not contained in this piece of legislation, nor in this clause.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EThose who pay the tax\u2014the middle class, those working people, and even those at the top and the corporates\u2014do expect some accountability for the tax that they pay. For ordinary working folk, or for every New Zealander, they expect that that tax is utilised in such a way that they can, for instance, line up at a doctor\u2019s or line up at a hospital and have their injuries or their illnesses dealt with. We have debated day after day and week after week in the life of this Parliament that we see degradation of the health system, and those people will be asking today, as we confirm these rates: \u201CWell, am I getting the best bang for my buck? If I\u2019ve been on a waiting list for 6 or 12 months, where are my tax dollars going?\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EThe same argument may be made in respect of our police force. In terms of those people who have been impacted on, either through burglary or through assault or other crime, they may be listening to this debate today\u2014or, as their local police may say to them: \u201CWell, we\u2019re under pressure\u201D\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274811f6bfd6449af9ef976ab9d4f1bb0\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd7b97841f12465abb31a2643eaf7ae0\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014\u201Cof resources.\u201D Those people, Mr Chair, are listening to this debate\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc5067af3e07494f8ee02fd4f9bb507c\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Back to the annual rates.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c981a8ad320428b8d9f6b90ec75c44b\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014but it is germane\u2014about clause 3. It has to be germane, if I am sitting at home today and listening to a debate about clause 3, in which this Committee is confirming a set of tax rates that, within that financial year, will raise revenue, and that revenue will be deployed amongst a variety of portfolios. It is germane for those listeners sitting at home to ask the simple question: are they getting the best bang for their buck out of these tax rates, which we confirm today? I do not quite see how it can be anything but germane to the debate\u2014whether it be in respect of health, or the ACC, or people who are impacted on in respect of law and order. All those portfolios are funded, ultimately, out of the revenue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EThe Minister sort of shakes her head. She is the Minister of Revenue, and she must at least know that clause 3 sets a rate of tax that will then generate income for the Government, and that that will be deployed in other portfolios. If she shakes her head, then there is something really wrong, and maybe we should sort of suspend the debate and maybe her officials should go and have a wee chat to her to explain the basis of raising taxes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EIt would be interesting and it would have been interesting, as I think other colleagues have said, if the Government, in proposing clause 3, had put out there in a transparent way the total tax pie, so that we could have a clear debate as to who pays what. I say that, in confirming these rates, it will be interesting whether the Minister or her officials are prepared to stand up and answer some of the questions that we have put to them in terms of whether they think these tax rates are fair; whether there is a fair distribution across the board; whether they think that, in the case of, say, corporates on the 13 percent rate, they believe they are paying their fair share; or even\u2014as a germane but side issue, as the debate continues\u2014what their practical plans may be for eliciting further taxation from multinational companies, which they themselves, as members of the Government, say are not paying their fair share.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EIf they are not paying their fair share\u2014OK, I think we could get a reasonable amount of consensus across Parliament on that. The question for the Government, as we move through this narrow clause 3, is what is it actually going to do about it? Presumably, it could make an alteration to these rates. If it was gaining more taxation out of, say, multinational companies, which it believes are not paying their fair share, then that may provide some equity, some fairness.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003ESo it will be interesting to see whether the Minister will take a call. If she disagrees with my analysis that setting annual rates then allows you to tax people, and that tax is then raised by the Government and then deployed into portfolios like health, education, welfare, etc., etc., then I am prepared to take a lesson from her. I know she is extremely exquisite\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ceabeafdd7eb415bbcb98fc6d63e2968\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Erudite.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002231cc1049b7e545c89b8934a95cf51baa\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and erudite\u2014I was talking about her arguments\u2014in providing lectures for people. She has made an art form of it, in this place\u2014the lectures, that is. Some of those lectures have sort of been her downfall, but, hey, she is here now. She has got back on the black leather in the Cabinet room, so we should celebrate that fact. But I will be interested if the Minister is prepared to respond.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022 data-id=\u002250b6371f6566454a955f917d204a0688\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002250b6371f6566454a955f917d204a0688\u0022\u003EFLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to speak on clause 3 in Part 1, \u201CAnnual rates of income tax for 2016-17 tax year\u201D. I just want to say that it is very much indicative of the Government\u2019s focus on tax and revenue at the moment, in that it does not seem to have any focus at all, whatsoever. Essentially, we are looking today at retrospective legislation to bring those annual rates into line. It speaks to me of a lack of discipline and perhaps too much revenue legislation in other areas that have been\u2014I am going to say \u201Cslammed\u201D. The tax industry was a bit more polite, in saying that perhaps there was a bit too much and it was getting a bit too confused, and they themselves were not able to keep up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8f53a7ec38f4e4e9807e0bb6785c5e0\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am going to remind members, as I have heard the previous Chair remind members, that this is a very narrow part. We have accepted the principle of the part already, as part of the second reading, and all debate on this has to be very narrowly focused. So, general discussions about tax policy, speediness, and focus are not relevant.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f9babb2ff894554935089606e2464dc\u0022\u003EFLETCHER TABUTEAU\u003C/span\u003E: Thanks, Mr Chair. If that is the case, then I will come to the question around fiscal drag. We are dealing with clause 3, which speaks to annual tax rates. The question I put to the Minister in the chair, the Minister of Revenue, and to the Government is that you have not changed these rates since 2011, I think it was, and so in all that time, essentially, New Zealanders\u2019 tax rates have been going up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EThe question, Minister, is that considering that is 41 percent of the Government\u2019s overall revenue base\u2014coming from tax, that is\u2014what is the Government\u2019s position now? Is the Government prepared to make a stand and say that, actually, it is timely for us to talk about annual rates? Here is our opportunity now to say to low-income earners that \u201CActually, we\u2019ve been taxing you too much, using these annual rates, and we need to adjust that. It is just not fair that you have been paying more tax because the Government has done nothing to address the rates as outlined in clause 3 in this legislation.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EFiscal drag has become quite a popular conversation with New Zealanders and other members of the House. It is timely. It is pertinent. I personally think that low-income earners are missing out because of the lack of changes or lack of reflection on these annual rates. I put it to you that here is an opportunity to make a position statement for the Government on how it thinks it should be treating New Zealanders. I do not think the Government is treating them well at all. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002276f0642b9a42474f9c9bf989f6c208b3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002276f0642b9a42474f9c9bf989f6c208b3\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Stuart Nash. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u00225e660a2f58c24aed810eb90431af3737\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225e660a2f58c24aed810eb90431af3737\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH (Labour\u2014Napier):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b912073f304d43358a70fb33f47b8fb1\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: I was looking for an alternative, Mr Nash. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e6d24a1c27c4dd19224ea838e7422d3\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: I was not too sure whether you had forgotten my name, or you were looking for someone else. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThere are a couple of points I would like to make about clause 3. First of all, we are talking about the annual rates of income tax for the 2016-17 tax year. That is the year that starts on 1 April 2016\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b25f68d944742168c626677d951aff9\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: 1 April, or July?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d19514748e84d8ea8c00e90f00da636\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014sorry, 1 July 2016\u2014and finishes on 30 June 2017. In my first contribution I talked about this being retrospective, but I do not know whether this is, because I am having a look at when the commencement date for this part of the bill is and, actually, I cannot find it anywhere in here as being retrospective. It does not make sense to me, because these are the tax rates for a financial year that actually started about 6 months ago, or 9 months ago. So by its very nature it must be retrospective, and yet I cannot find anywhere in the commencement clause\u2014and I know we are debating clause 3, but it would be good to know when this clause actually does commence because, you know, in tax legislation we just cannot make an assumption that, because it is at the beginning of the 2016 tax year, we just assume that that is when it is going to be. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ETax legislation, by its very nature, must be very, very tight and very, very specific, because we know the consequences if it is not. The consequences of that are that men and women with huge brains who spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find loopholes will make a substantial amount of money advising clients on how to get around these massive big bits of paper. I doubt that there is any consequence\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e2da56edfef241dbbdd2a79487d7a384\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: OK, I have had time to look very carefully at the bill, and the very large clause 2 in the bill. If the member wants to discuss the commencement, he can do it during that clause. Now, going back to clause 3 in Part 1. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc204786638842c89c3faccf89388ccc\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Chair, but I do think it is important to know just when clause 3 actually does commence. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe other thing I would like to talk about is there is a quite a big regulatory impact statement and disclosure statement for this whole bill, but the interesting thing is there is one whole part that is missing from this regulatory impact statement, and that is Part 1. What it says on Part 1 is that \u201CAlthough New Zealand has relatively strong tax settings, [etc.] \u2026 Changes in the economic environment, [etc.] \u2026 can mean that the tax system becomes unfair, inefficient, complex or uncertain.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI would have thought that clause 3 in this bill at least deserves some form of commentary on whether it is still seen as fair, as efficient, and as fit for the environment, because there have been changes in the economic environment. I think that if we are talking about one whole part of a substantial piece of legislation, then the officials can at least do us the respect of letting us know whether they believe that Part 1 is fair in the changing conditions, because when clause 3 was implemented the economic environment was different from what it is now. When these tax rates were implemented, as outlined in Part 1, the environment was different, and I think that the officials should have outlined the arguments on whether Part 1 still fitted the economic environment\u2014whether it still maintained the integrity of the tax system. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI am not saying that these rates outlined in Part 1 are right or wrong. I am not saying whether they should be higher or lower. I am not saying whether they should have taken account of fiscal drag, or anything along those lines. What I am saying is that as members of Parliament, we deserve commentary on whether they are still fit for purpose, and what we do not see anywhere in any commentary on this bill is any sort of analysis of Part 1\u2014of the annual tax rates for the income year that we are in at the moment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI do not think that is right, because this is a very important part of the bill, which affects nearly every single New Zealander who is paying taxes\u2014in fact, not nearly every single New Zealander. It affects every single New Zealander, because when we are talking about annual tax rates, we are not just talking about income tax; we are talking about company tax rates, we are talking about trust tax rates, and we are talking about charity tax rates. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u00226e32733692d54cfdbb68d13de901f1bc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226e32733692d54cfdbb68d13de901f1bc\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER (Third Whip\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022b6ab3cb39ff5407d9da9b55cdce4e1f4\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 57\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 14; New Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000443\u0022\u003EPart 1 agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022628b880eccf24912864280d07ec40782\u0022\u003EPart 2  Amendments to Income Tax Act 2007\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002286e43d8b00e44afa9b6c169d745148c8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002286e43d8b00e44afa9b6c169d745148c8\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: This is debate on clauses 4 to 272, on the Minister\u2019s amendments to Part 2 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 261, on Ron Mark\u2019s amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 260 inserting new clause 37B, and, obviously, on the rest of the part. I call Peeni Henare.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u0022ddf29b32da0b4e3d93030add2b5a4c4b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ddf29b32da0b4e3d93030add2b5a4c4b\u0022\u003EPEENI HENARE (Labour\u2014T\u0101maki Makaurau):\u003C/span\u003E Excellent. T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Chair. Thank you very much for this opportunity. I rise to speak to Part 2, clause 262(48) and (56), with regard to grandparented M\u0101ori authorities. For fear of putting those in the gallery to sleep, I thought I had better ring some of my far more learned friends from university who are now accountants and tax specialists to ask for a little bit more detail about this particular bill and how it impacts on M\u0101ori authorities. What I got was a mixed response\u2014a mixed response. Some see it as a good thing. Some see it as not quite a good thing, and probably have more questions around some of the issues I will raise in my contribution. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EOne of those things is, simply, the compliance costs. What we are saying is that somebody like Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua, who have been setting up their asset management structure since May 2016, can look forward to up to $1 million in compliance costs\u2014$1 million in compliance costs\u2014to make sure that they have the right mechanisms around limited liability structures. This is, I think, a gross injustice for the likes of Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua and their asset-holding arrangements, given that M\u0101ori authorities pre - May 2016 will have already been able to continue to operate under the old mechanisms. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EOne of the aspects I thought interesting in my discussions with my learned friend was around M\u0101ori authorities being considered as one share owner\u2014the only and sole share owner\u2014within those look-through companies. As a member who sits on quite a number of M\u0101ori trust boards, I say that is not the case. We know that M\u0101ori authorities that do actually sit in those look-through companies and hold the shares actually do not hold one share for everybody, but, in fact, hold multiple shares. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EWhen I talk about compliance for the likes of Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua, I also think about Taranaki, who recently in this House had the third reading of their bill and had their settlement cross the line. In my discussion with them over this particular matter, they said that some of the compliance costs for them will range between $50,000 and $200,000. Is this fair on those types of organisations, which are trying to make good out of their settlements and their attempts at trying to share the wealth with their tribal members, that have worked hard over many years to get their settlements across the line? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EAnother question that the experts I spoke to also raised was that if they are set up under this new regime, which is the limited liability regime, for parts of a M\u0101ori authority, much of their particular operations under a limited liability scheme\u2014although achieving what was required under the old regime\u2014are yet to be tested in court. This was the advice given to me by a learned friend who contributed to a submission on this particular bill made by Ernst \u0026amp; Young on this matter. What they repeated to me was: \u201CSo then where does this leave all of those authorities since May 2016 that set up under a new limited liability regime? And what will it look like when they move into uncharted waters, where these particular regimes and structures have not been tested within a court?\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EThese were some of the questions that actually described, probably, more negative responses towards this particular clause. Although they acknowledged that for some it is a good set-up because it will allow them to complete their time under the old regime\u2014and hence the term they get is \u201Cgrandparented Maori authority\u201D, where there is a type of sunset clause\u2014for those new\u2014[Bell rung] Mr Chair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227ea6dee388744272a535e7fa6f2df983\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Peeni Henare. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e2bc7ae2255041d18543b3ce3cae4d57\u0022\u003EPEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: For lack of choice, Mr Chair, I will continue. If I can just sort of sum up my contribution on this particular clause\u2014how will it affect those who are not aware of the issue? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI mean that with respect. I spoke to several M\u0101ori authorities that are trying to set up their asset liability regimes now that actually were not even aware of what was happening. They looked at what I sent them as a question on these particular matters and said: \u201CPeeni, what the hell are you talking about? What the hell are you talking about?\u201D. That makes me concerned about where this might go, because these organisations\u2014these M\u0101ori authorities setting up post-settlement governing entities and post-settlement asset management entities\u2014are none the wiser as to what this means. I daresay when they look across to some of the other M\u0101ori authorities that are operating under the old regime, they will ask questions like whether this is fair, and what does this mean to them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EJust in conclusion, this particular clause, clause 262(48) and (56), works well for the M\u0101ori authorities that have been operating for a number of years now, but we know that there have been many more that have been coming online in the past year, and they will probably have more questions than they do answers. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022 data-id=\u0022c70258e9dbe14cbc824118a51bdf8593\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c70258e9dbe14cbc824118a51bdf8593\u0022\u003EFLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E I would just like to carry on from the contribution from Mr Henare there, because I too went to a few of my local M\u0101ori authorities, and the trust and the iwi there, that operate using the M\u0101ori authority framework within the look-through company (LTC) mechanism. Just to be clear, what has been happening in the past is that because there have been so many multiple-ownership issues, and then the requirements around reporting and the obligations under the LTC around that, M\u0101ori have been able to use the look-through company mechanism as a way of meeting their obligations in terms of their tax requirements. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003ESo I went and talked to the community in Rotorua there, and I would like to repeat, essentially, what Mr Henare said here. There was mixed feedback. First of all, several of the bigger operators said that it would not make much difference to them and they will probably carry on\u2014I think I should acknowledge the Minister of Revenue here; I think with the grandparenting clause for our M\u0101ori authorities, we move into a position where there can be some certainty, but we will come back to the Supplementary Order Paper later\u2014but then other M\u0101ori authorities were concerned about their tax liabilities literally changing under this new regulation. Essentially, they thought that they would be obliged to pay more taxes because of this change. So I do sincerely look to the Minister for guidance on that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EThat was their interpretation of this legislation and the conversation was had around that, but then I would also add that many M\u0101ori authorities did not know what I was talking about, and they did not understand the implications on their tax requirements as they went away from that conversation. So what is the obligation on the Government to engage and have meaningful conversations with New Zealand stakeholders\u2014taxpayers\u2014around the obligations and changes thereof? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EWhat I want to probably just finish on is that what the LTC issues focus on\u2014and the Minister could answer the question here\u2014is the way the beneficiaries were counted, determining whether the requirements that there be five or fewer counted owners, and whether the application of the M\u0101ori authorities and multiple ownership still applies in the new legislation. With the grandparenting clause, I also wonder about the M\u0101ori operations starting up businesses now. Everyone talks about the M\u0101ori economy and how gangbusters it is going. Well, you have changed the law on them, then you grandparented it so that some operations will continue to operate under an old system, and now we have got new ones coming on board and they will be obliged to operate differently. There is that collective knowledge that will not necessarily be able to effectively be passed on to new operations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EWe have got a lot of issues there to be covered and a lot of concerns to be settled, Minister. So I put it to you that it is a great opportunity to address those in the Committee today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u0022042ff361fe704beb8b2b32aa8d031f8e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022042ff361fe704beb8b2b32aa8d031f8e\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E Just a short call really, just to address some of the issues raised by the members who have resumed their seats. The question was raised\u2014and then, really, answered\u2014by Mr Tabuteau that the bill proposes that a look-through company (LTC) owned by a trust will lose its LTC status if the trust makes a distribution to a corporate beneficiary. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EI am advised that \u201CCharities and M\u0101ori authorities will be precluded from being LTC owners, directly or indirectly, under the proposed amendments. However\u201D\u2014and I will just be very technical here\u2014\u201Ca trust that is a shareholder in a LTC will be able to make a distribution to a charity when the distribution is akin to a donation or is received by the charity as a residual beneficiary. [Charities and] M\u0101ori authorities that have ownership interests in LTCs immediately before the introduction of this Bill will be excluded from the prohibition.\u201D So there is a grandparenting. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EThe bill also deals with annual amounts of foreign income earned by foreign-controlled LTCs. It says that they are limited to the greater of $10,000 or 20 percent of the LTC\u2019s gross income in the relevant income year. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EMr Tabuteau is quite correct that it is changing the rules, but that is what Parliament does. There are many people who wonder why some businesses receive favourable\u2014as they see it\u2014tax treatment to other businesses, and some of the businesses that we are talking about are in direct competition with Kiwi-owned businesses that are actually not having that benefit. But, basically, I have answered the question that Mr Tabuteau posed, and I acknowledge that he has gone to the trouble of looking up the answer himself. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022 data-id=\u00221df9e67957044a73891ff4a53684eb03\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221df9e67957044a73891ff4a53684eb03\u0022\u003EJAMES SHAW (Co-Leader\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E I just want to raise a couple of questions in relation to the Minister of Revenue\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 261. In fact, I would just like to start by saying congratulations to the Minister on her appointment, because I do not believe I have had the opportunity to congratulate her on her new portfolios. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EJust in relation to parts 1 and 2 in the explanatory note of that SOP, the Green Party really supports those, especially the pieces around the Kaik\u014Dura relief provisions\u2014that is perfectly consistent with the previous legislation that we passed to help with the Kaik\u014Dura relief there\u2014and also a number of the technical amendments that have come through in parts 1 and 2 of that. What we were confused about with part 3 of the SOP is that that does appear to be new policy that has been introduced at a late stage in the bill\u2019s reading\u2014in particular, the areas around new debt remission exceptions\u2014and we could not see that that was terribly consistent with what had been introduced to the House earlier on in the process. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EIf the assessment that we have is correct, then we would say that that is quite poor process because, obviously, that has not been through any select committee process. There has been no regular regulatory impact statement that is attached to it and, as I said before, it is new policy. So it does seem to take the bill in a new direction. So I would like to get some input from the Minister as to why that has appeared at this point in the process, in this bill at this stage, because it does seem to be substantively different. If it is significant, then it would seem to make more sense to introduce that as a separate bill that could be debated properly, because in our view it does not necessarily match up fully with the other parts of the primary bill that we are debating. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003ESo I would like to hear from the Minister a bit more about those provisions, especially around the new debt remission exceptions\u2014why that has been introduced as an SOP rather than when the bill was first introduced in the House, or why it could not be introduced as a separate piece of legislation, if it is so significant. We would be quite keen to hear from the Minister on that. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022 data-id=\u0022fdd3c70b71a34e74992a9593ec79d04c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fdd3c70b71a34e74992a9593ec79d04c\u0022\u003ERON MARK (Deputy Leader\u2014NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E I rise to take a call on clause 2, particularly Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 260 in my name. This is an issue that has been brought to my attention time and time again, not just by commercial property owners in rural, provincial New Zealand but by mayors and councillors\u2014and local government in general\u2014who are very worried about the implications of earthquake strengthening. We have tried on a couple of occasions in the House to get an SOP like this through in other pieces of the legislation. Once it was vetoed by the Government, using the financial veto, and we are hoping that this time, given the Minister of Revenue\u2019s experience in taxation law, this Minister will be able to persuade the rest of her Cabinet to take a more business-friendly approach on this piece of legislation on this particular matter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThe SOP is very short and very simple. It makes a couple of amendments. One inserts subclause (30B) in clause 2, and the other one amends new clause 37B. Essentially, the guts of the legislation is in section DA 2(1) of the Income Tax Act, where we would insert in new clause 37B, after the words \u201Cof a capital nature\u201D, the words \u201C, unless they are seismic works where an EPB\u201D\u2014which is an earthquake-prone building notice\u2014\u201Chas been issued for the building under section 133AK of the Building Act 2004\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EIn our explanatory note, we talk about a couple of things. Firstly, this has been an issue that has been raised on occasion by major chartered accountants such as KPMG and others, and, in fact, the Property Council of New Zealand has noted this in an April 2014 submission. We agree with them that this amendment will redress and correct what we see, they see, and commercial property owners see as an anomaly in the inland revenue Act where the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is required to classify earthquake strengthening as capital works. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThe argument we put is that it is absolutely baffling that if a building in Wellington is ripped apart, the repair work to put that building back together is classed as repairs and maintenance, but if in doing that work the owner of the building has to strengthen other parts of the building to bring it up to code as well, then that work is not considered to be repairs and maintenance. It is considered to be capital works. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EOur proposition is this. If a building sitting in the middle of Waipawa is declared through a letter from the council to be earthquake-prone and, therefore, has to undergo strengthening, and if that strengthening work does nothing more than strengthen the building\u2014it does not alter its shape, does not alter its capacity, does not alter its utility; it simply makes the building the same as it was but makes it fit the new code\u2014where is the capital gain? In fact, the moment that letter is issued, the value on that building plummets. Unfortunately, the insurance premiums skyrocket. Unfortunately, tenants, who are looking at the new occupational safety and health laws and at their commitment to their staff, exit, and the landlord is now left with a building that is seriously devalued and of questionable economic worth as an investment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EUndertaking the strengthening work simply restores the building back to its previous utility prior to it receiving a letter deeming it to be unsafe. We would say that that in itself is a strong argument for the Government accepting our view, KPMG\u2019s view, and the Property Council\u2019s view that this work should be tax deductible. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EHere is the next point. We are looking throughout New Zealand right now, and there are a lot of commercial properties\u2014in rural New Zealand, in particular\u2014that run the serious risk of being left empty. Most of these owners are looking for an incentive or a bit of leverage to assist them in their ability to conduct this work. Being able to claim tax deductibility for that work and, in some cases, the remediation of their buildings\u2014[Bell rung] Mr Chair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223582efccdfde43ad97123c8f87212179\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Ron Mark, but start narrowing it up now, please. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002222a2963cf45f44a6aec99896d4e0a731\u0022\u003ERON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: We will. In some cases, for these little buildings\u2014wooden buildings\u2014the work could be $65,000. It could lead to fire protection work, which under the new Building Act is required to be done when substantive work such as earthquake strengthening is done. It can blow those costs out to 100 grand. Being able to get a tax write-off legally, with assistance from the Government and assistance from the IRD, would incentivise and alleviate the pain that many of these commercial property owners are going through right now, and it would go some way to preventing the gutting out, or the creation of ghost towns in provincial New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWe implore the Government to look strongly and favourably at this SOP and give some alleviation to many, many commercial property owners throughout rural New Zealand\u2014well, throughout the whole of New Zealand. But, of course\u2014being one who lives in rural New Zealand\u2014in New Zealand First, we are particularly worried about the possibility of us having ghost towns right throughout the country. That is something that would not be good for the economy as a whole. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u0022f53c11db22254d2aa9becfbee855fa91\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f53c11db22254d2aa9becfbee855fa91\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E I will just take a short call to answer a couple of the questions that have been raised by members. Mr Shaw asked about the debt remission rules. The amendments in Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 261 actually clarify the provisions of the bill. They are only very technical, and there are no new policy changes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EMr Mark\u2019s SOP 260\u2014well, Mr Mark, you will be thrilled to know that I raised these very same questions when I first became the Minister of Revenue. I raised them with the Inland Revenue Department, and it reminded me, of course, that in 2010 the policy settings around depreciation of buildings was changed so that, generally, the value of buildings is not considered to be something that is rightly depreciated these days. I think a lot of people probably supported that. It had been leading to some very unusual outcomes in terms of investment decisions. So I have also asked around the repairs and maintenance as opposed to a capital item. When the department explained it to me, I actually felt quite convinced by it. It said that, essentially, what you are doing in earthquake strengthening is you are creating not just the same building, not just repairing it\u2014what you are really doing is actually creating a building to a different standard, a different code, and it is actually about creating almost a new building. So I know that you are not going to agree with that, but that is, essentially, the answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EI think it is also decided that one of the best ways for Government\u2014some people might feel that the Government has an obligation to help, in some way, people who own buildings, commercial properties, where there is earthquake strengthening to be done. There are also options around grants, and that is why there are some provisions, actually, particularly for heritage buildings. In fact, I can just give you the programme. It is the Heritage Earthquake Upgrade Incentive Programme fund, which will put $12 million over the next 4 years towards the cost of strengthening privately-owned commercial buildings. So I know it is not the answer that the member seeks, but it is something that I have raised. I understand the concept as to why it would not be available, particularly when we have a non-deductibility, generally, or non-depreciation of other commercial properties.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022058bc39a47894e2eaa0b1496d05c9a17\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022058bc39a47894e2eaa0b1496d05c9a17\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Ruth Dyson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u0022324046d7a4674018affac985e45ad458\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022324046d7a4674018affac985e45ad458\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON (Labour\u2014Port Hills):\u003C/span\u003E I was not quite sure I heard that right. Thank you very much, Mr Chairman. It comes as a big surprise that you chose to call me for a contribution in this debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b55e8f204cb4fcea87f5c13d1b12c37\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I looked at the member, and the member is a senior member of the House, and lives in an earthquake area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022568f9839b6614d5888c762a110b769f2\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON\u003C/span\u003E: That is right. It just was not noticed earlier in the five attempts that I made to get a call. I guess that is why it came to me as a surprise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003ECan I begin my contribution on Part 2 of this bill also, in the way that James Shaw did, by acknowledging the Minister on her elevation to this position, and by saying that I am particularly pleased that a woman is in one of these financial roles. It has not happened very often, with some of the predecessors that we might have looked to. You might not want to be compared to previous Ministers of Finance, but I like seeing women in the economic space rather than in just the social portfolios. This reminds me how disappointed I am that we do not seem to have any women represented on the Finance and Expenditure Committee that considered the submissions on this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002200727af999754de28860d5949fa7bd55\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Not relevant to this part, thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e90c7831990545c9889accfe1218aec6\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, actually, it is relevant because those were the very members who considered the submissions on the part that I am going to speak to now. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EPart 2 covers clauses 4 to 272, so a huge number of clauses. I want to make my initial contribution in relation to the tax rule changes in regard to look-through (LTC) companies, which are primarily around clause 262, but they do cover others. There is a package of amendments, and I guess rather than just make a contribution about their merits or not, I am really interested in asking for the Minister to continue what I think has been a very good practice of responding to the questions that are raised.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThe reason that I want to ask them\u2014and it often happens in tax legislation, particularly in areas like this where we are looking at changes that are recommended for closely held companies and look-through companies\u2014is that we get people who are tax experts coming to the committee and making their submissions, and then the Government says no and it just completely disagrees and ignores them. I guess that is the question: what is the reason that some of these\u2014what I think to be substantial\u2014contributions that have been made have been turned down by the Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EFirstly\u2014and these are, as I said at the beginning, all in relation to clause 262\u2014there were submissions from KPMG, from the Law Society, and from OliverShaw relating to the proposed restrictions on the amount of foreign income that an LTC can earn when controlled by foreign owners. They made substantial submissions\u2014these are not fly-by-nighters; this is the New Zealand Law Society, which I think Minister Judith Collins is quite familiar with, and KPMG, and OliverShaw\u2014and those were just rejected by the Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EWhat I want to know is: does the Minister believe that their submissions were an error? Did they misunderstand the proposals in clause 262 in Part 2 of this legislation? Did they misunderstand them? Were they trying to get something that was not intended by the policy frame in which this bill was designed? Or did the Minister just disagree with their point, for whatever other reasons? I would like to ask that question about that specific proposal\u2014the amount of foreign income that an LTC can earn when controlled by foreign owners.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThen, along a similar line\u2014if I can just find the other one that I was really interested in. This is a proposed amendment to how trustees and beneficiaries are counted, and, again, it is that same clause\u2014clause 262. Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and again KPMG, and again the New Zealand Law Society, and also PricewaterhouseCoopers made substantial submissions, again, on that narrow point\u2014the proposed amendments to how trustees and beneficiaries are counted. Those submissions were heard by the members of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, and the Government just said no.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThere are a few more that have different considerations, but the theme is quite strong and consistent throughout these submissions. It causes me, as a member of Parliament who was not on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, some concern that we have not had any explanation from the committee members either in the second reading or during this debate, to my recollection, so I am asking the Minister, on those two points\u2014and I will go over some more as well\u2014whether she can clarify why these substantial and considered submissions just got ruled out by the Government. I want to go on to a couple of others that are along a similar line, but all of them are in clause 262 and all of them were made to the select committee. Mr Chairman, the bell should have gone then. Should I wait?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220dd1a25c6ae54058b58ddd0585dca949\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon Ruth Dyson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220bc44e00ab4c4bbab745493bb44b7b42\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. I am still hanging out for that bell to be rung.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002216a1ea0862f8471fb2c7d5f3f916d18e\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Given the alternative.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bae6822853a141e59f1e488151052d93\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON\u003C/span\u003E: I did not see the opposition. The one I just talked about was the trustees and beneficiaries. The next one that I want to ask about\u2014exactly the same. Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand is a group of people whom we would have some trust in to understand tax law\u2014their job is, in part, deciphering it, understanding it, explaining it to people, and, in their business, making sure that the tax rules are complied with. They put in a substantial submission about the simplification of the transitional role for trust fees. Again, the Finance and Expenditure Committee heard it\u2014talking about the transitional roles for the phasing in of the new requirements: how long they are going to be backdated for and how many years it will take to implement it. I think, on the face of it\u2014on reading their submission and looking at the issues that they raised\u2014that they made some valid points, and, again, those were just absolutely declined.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThe extension of the calculation period, people receiving LTC, and the beneficiaries receiving their LTC income being rotated\u2014one solution would be to remove the 4-year time limit, so the beneficiary would be counted if they had a distribution of LTC as beneficiary income in any income year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E That was the point that was being made, again by PricewaterhouseCoopers. It is an organisation that does this work all the time. They made a submission on quite a detailed part of clause 262, and, again, it was just thrown out. I have been on the Finance and Expenditure Committee in the past and I understand that quite often in tax legislation\u2014as it might be in these provisions in clause 262 that I have alluded to\u2014it may be that the submitters misunderstood the point of the legislation; they might have got clause 262 wrong. They might be trying to develop a little loophole that could be to their clients\u2019 advantage in the future\u2014that would be a pretty cynical view. Or, it is possible that the officials and the Minister\u2014I guess it was the previous Minister\u2014made an error in their determination that these should be rejected.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EBut when you get organisations that are credible and do this work as part of their job\u2014I want to understand why those submissions were declined. They are all under the loosely held companies review, all in relation to clause 262. But if you look at the analysis of the submissions and the report back from officials, this has been a piece of legislation that has had high quality and substantial input into it. I hope that we can feel, as we go through the Committee stage, that we can enhance the consideration that the select committee gave, but we cannot do this adequately unless there is an explanation to the Committee of the whole House of the questions, such as those I have raised, in relation to the submissions, the points they raised, and why they would not be accepted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003ELikewise, in relation to Ron Mark\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 260\u2014I heard Mr Mark\u2019s contribution to it and I thought it was a very good one, a very helpful one. I heard the Minister\u2019s response and I thought it was a little bit short cut, in relation to the substance of the issues. So I hope we can have a further look at that SOP before the Committee stage is through.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI suppose the advantage of the Committee of the whole House is that this is the opportunity for us to have members of the select committee\u2014in this case, the Finance and Expenditure Committee\u2014share with us all the debate that they went through. We can share their knowledge, and get some better understanding of what they considered and how they did it. I hope that some of the Government members of that select committee are able to share their wisdom. It may not take all that long, but it would be really helpful, I think, to the quality of the debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EWe are doing weird things in this bill, as we did in the last part, which we have already moved on from\u2014setting tax rates for a year that has nearly concluded. In this part that we are debating now, Part 2, we are making major changes to a wide range of current tax rules\u2014268 clauses of amendments to tax rules, some of them as a result of a review; some of them as a result of concerns that the officials have, which have been accepted by the Minister. I hope that we have a better contribution from Government members and, again, I want to acknowledge the responses from the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022aee5fe6991704b70886c6cc2f6ae57be\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aee5fe6991704b70886c6cc2f6ae57be\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Just before I call the next member, I do want to compliment the member Ruth Dyson on being relevant, but I make a request, which is that in future people look fairly carefully at the clauses and the subclauses. Rather than just say that it is in clause 262\u2014when something has 117 subclauses, some of which themselves have subparagraphs, it would helpful, for both the Minister in the chair and me in making our judgments, if members could refer to the subclauses that they are referring to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022d78413f477b448d48f43090b22c52a35\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d78413f477b448d48f43090b22c52a35\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH (Labour\u2014Napier):\u003C/span\u003E There are two areas of this bill that I would like to talk about. The first one is actually to back up Ron Mark of New Zealand First. Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 260, set down by Ron Mark\u2014thank you to the Minister in the chair, Judith Collins, for outlining the IRD\u2019s response to this. But if you could indulge me the right to reply to that, the Minister did mention that in 2010 there was a change in rules around depreciation of buildings, and what the IRD has said is that buildings do not normally depreciate, and therefore it really does not make much sense. The thing is that that seems a very Auckland- or Wellington-centric view. There are a whole lot of small places in provincial New Zealand, like Eltham\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f57465c48734ec1a6f947a04140d4b0\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: I am going to interrupt now, and I am going to apologise to the member for interrupting him and not interrupting the Minister. But a discussion about depreciation changes that happened 5 or 7 years ago is actually not relevant to the bill. I mean, a vague passing reference would be fine, but we cannot\u2014the member can debate either the part or Mr Mark\u2019s SOP. Again, I want to reiterate my apology for not interrupting the Minister, but we just cannot let this debate go on, because we could have another hour on things that are not relevant now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b4698bcde0934f53a00373ace3e109cc\u0022\u003EIain Lees-Galloway\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. I just noticed that while you were ruling, the clock was running. I just want to ensure that Mr Nash gets his full time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222afa85139110452dad372cc9f820e313\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: That is my instruction. When I interrupt a member because they are not being relevant, then the clock will run. If there is another point of order, generally the clock will stop, but I will still make a judgment. A couple of members might have noticed that they were stopped early. Their speeches were not terminated; they just did not get credit for good behaviour.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225526701c95324930a87acabe51482e9d\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: The reason I did mention this is that the heart of Mr Marks\u2019 SOP is: \u201Cto redress significant tax disadvantages faced by commercial, industrial, retail, and heritage property owners when looking to bring buildings above the earthquake-prone building threshold required by the Building Act.\u201D What the Minister actually said is that the IRD believed that it was actually creating almost another building. I think those were the Minister\u2019s words, and I think she meant to say that. I get that on one perspective. What we have done without changing the legislation, and it might have been an unintended purpose, is that we have taken a building that was within code\u2014it was legal; there was nothing wrong with that building, and it was valued as such\u2014and we have actually changed the law to move that building from being legal to now being illegal. I could mount a counterargument that, in fact, what the IRD has done by actually changing the law is take a building and, again, move it into another category. That is counter to what the Minister was saying.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWhat we actually may see here is something that Mr Mark alluded to, but it could be slightly worse than that. Mr Mark has said in his Supplementary Order Paper: \u201CWithout this amendment, many buildings may be demolished without replacement, especially in provincial New Zealand.\u201D The reason that may happen is that the cost of actually rehabilitating that building, or getting it up to code, is more than the value of that building, but I see a scenario where it could actually be worse than that. Let me give you an example. A building in Waipawa has got a value\u2014this is not a real-world example, just a hypothetical one, and I do know Waipawa, because it is a quaint little town with nice heritage buildings. It might have a commercial value of $200,000. The cost to remediate that building is $300,000. That building is held in a separate company, as these things tend to be these days. Instead of the building owner saying \u201CI\u2019m going to pull down that building.\u201D, what that building owner may actually say is: \u201CI\u2019m going to walk away from this company. So not only am I not going to demolish this, I\u2019m going to leave this.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo at some point in time, the territorial authority will have a statutory requirement to either make that building safe or pull it down. The onus moves from the owner of that building to the ratepayers and the council. I can see a potential scenario where, in fact, that building is not pulled down by the owner but it is a cost incurred by the council as it has to pull the building down itself. If I am right in saying this\u2014the Minister may correct me on this\u2014I think the Government has given councils in provincial areas 10 years to remediate any building that does not come under the code. If I come to my home town of Napier, which, of course, was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake, if a building was built before 1935, it automatically is discounted by 20 percent, I think, on what constitutes being in code.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThere are two things I would say to the Minister\u2019s response to this SOP. First, has the IRD a mandate to actually look at the social cost of not implementing a piece of legislation; if so, how does it quantify that? I think what Mr Mark\u2014I do not want to put words in Mr Mark\u2019s mouth, obviously\u2014is talking about here is not only the fiscal cost but the social cost that a council or a town might incur if, in fact, this is not allowed to be expensed. This is a problem all over New Zealand. I visited a gentleman in Eltham, and he owned half a block. It is just not worth him spending the money getting that up to code.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe other thing I would like to say on this is that $12 million over 4 years put forward by the heritage fund is very generous, and I commend it for that, but I think $12 million\u2014let us say it is roughly $3 million a year. [Interruption] Sure, but just answering the Minister\u2019s\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270ef9652a02d47eab0d8345e3ce1e7c8\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: You cannot answer an irrelevancy with an irrelevancy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022039b1597355c48a8b958fbf5a9f79ab7\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Sure, but that is possibly about three or four buildings a year. It really does not address the problem in any way, shape, or form.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe other thing I would like to briefly allude to is clause 42 in this bill, which actually covers inserting new section DW5 and all the subsections on that, through to new section DW6. It is about aircraft operators, aircraft engines, and aircraft engine overhauls. We had a really interesting debate in the select committee. This was brought forward by David Seymour. I do not know whether Alan Gibbs said I had a problem with my airport maintenance, but I would not like to say that at all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EIt is a sensible amendment; there is no doubt about that. But I suspect there are some unintended consequences. The reason I say it is a sensible amendment is that the engine of an aircraft needs a much higher level of maintenance than, say, the body of an aircraft or the wheels or any other part of an aircraft, and rightly so\u2014rightly so. I do not want to disagree with that. But what this actually requires now is the purchaser of an aircraft to actually separate the value of the engine from the value of the aircraft itself. I am assuming there is a simple model that will allow the sellers of aircraft to do this, or insurance assessors who look at aircraft and say: \u201COK, what we can do is let\u2019s have a model\u201D\u2014it is not in here, Mr Chairman, but I am making a hypothetical assumption\u2014\u201Cthat the engine of the aircraft is worth, let\u2019s say, 50 percent of the whole aircraft itself. Therefore, if you are purchasing an aircraft for $10 million, the value of the engine is $5 million.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI do not know whether it is as simple as that, and the Minister may well know. If it is as simple as that, then it makes this a little easier to implement. If it is not as simple as that, then I am really interested to know how the Commissioner of Inland Revenue is going to deal with this when someone comes and says: \u201CI bought an aircraft for $10 million. It consists of a little bit of aluminium, some rivets, a little bit of leather and a really big engine, because without that engine, this thing doesn\u2019t get off the ground. Therefore, I reckon it\u2019s worth about 90 percent of the value of the aircraft.\u201D If that occurs, then I believe the Commissioner of Inland Revenue is going to be forced to rule on some standardised model that will allow aircraft owners and aircraft engine maintainers to comply with, because it could be all over the place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWhen we look at this, there are certain things you are not allowed to do. For example, if you buy an aircraft, like one of those old Harvards that I think the air force uses for its trip planes, and you just maintain the engine for standard use, that is fine, but if you want to modify the engine, then you cannot claim anything back, which sort of makes sense in a way, but it is sort of interesting as well. It does not include gliders, which is good to know; Richie will not be under any more tax obligations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EBut the other thing also\u2014it is interesting here, and I will read this. This is new section DW5(3), \u201CDeduction for aircraft engine when acquired for price\u201D. The wording is very interesting here. It says that if the person acquires\u2014other than as an unpriced aircraft engine with the aircraft\u2014an aircraft engine for use with the aircraft, the person has a deduction. The wording that is interesting is \u201Cother than as an unpriced aircraft engine with the aircraft\u201D. I suspect what was happening is a whole lot of people were buying an aircraft and saying: \u201CThe engine\u2019s just part of it; it\u2019s not unpriced.\u201D That is why I am saying that a new model is going to have to come into existence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022 data-id=\u0022b3c0907ba3234e96aa28e33c5985fabc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b3c0907ba3234e96aa28e33c5985fabc\u0022\u003EJAMI-LEE ROSS (Junior Whip\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022f81592258c074c6b8a2bc3a711cb80f0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f81592258c074c6b8a2bc3a711cb80f0\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: Ah, no. I think we have had a bit of original stuff\u2014Ron Mark.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022 data-id=\u00227b5c0e9d61eb48b69594812352604407\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227b5c0e9d61eb48b69594812352604407\u0022\u003ERON MARK (Deputy Leader\u2014NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E I appreciate the opportunity just to once again address my Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 260 and, in particular, some of the comments that the Minister has made in defence of the Government\u2019s not accepting it. I think the one I want to pick up on\u2014and I will probably leave it to my colleague Fletcher Tabuteau to talk about the depreciation argument\u2014is the heritage buildings. We are not convinced that that argument stacks up, because what the Minister probably has not realised is that many of these buildings are not declared as being heritage. They are not listed as heritage buildings, but they are buildings that hold the character of the province and the district. So in that sense they have high aesthetic value and add high character value to those provincial towns. It does not matter whether you go to Twizel, Eltham, Stratford, or up to Waipukurau, there are buildings there that speak volumes to the history but have not been listed as heritage buildings. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cebf86244fc0486ca7b23e5bad726bba\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard)\u003C/span\u003E: The time is very close to my leaving the Chair for the dinner break, but before I do that, I am going to give a warning that the member is now repeating things that he said earlier and others have said since. So after dinner there is going to be a requirement to be much tighter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223dac8649b6944880a8957ec41fc0ac29\u0022\u003ERON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: I just wanted to address that comment from IRD, and New Zealand First has to make this point. For IRD to argue that the Minister should reject our SOP 260, with one of the arguments being that there is heritage funding available for old buildings\u2014whether it is $12 million or what; it does not really matter\u2014is ridiculous, because the overwhelming majority of the affected buildings that we are discussing do not have heritage orders and, therefore, they are not eligible to apply for that funding assistance. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003ESo we are back to square one, where we are facing an issue. We are being told this by such people as Ross McKinley, KPMG\u2019s National Managing Partner for Taxation, who noted last year: \u201CMany building owners may be considering demolishing or abandoning earthquake-prone buildings if an anomaly in tax treatment is not remedied.\u201D That is what this SOP aims to do. Without it, Mr McKinley added: \u201CIRD\u2019s stance creates a contradiction. \u2026 In other words, \u2026 owners can claim a tax loss if a building collapses but no tax relief for trying to ensure it does not collapse in the first place.\u201D Well, that is just nonsensical, and provides, perversely, a disincentive for those challenged property owners to undertake the work and not abandon the building. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EI do not think people are possibly grasping the size and the magnitude of the problem. There are estimates out there saying that seismic works across New Zealand range from $4 billion\u2014that is according to the Government\u2019s own Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment\u2014to the figure estimated by Tailrisk Economics. It estimates the figure could be $5 billion to $7 billion worth of work. That is not to improve the quality of the building, the usability of the building, the functionality of the building, or the capability of the building, and I want to draw, actually, the Government\u2019s attention to its own piece of legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EIf you are going into clause 42, which inserts new sections DW 5 and DW 6 into the Income Tax Act, it is really interesting because there is a lot of stuff here, shaded, about aircraft maintenance engine overhaul. Just briefly perusing through that, I, as a former mechanical engineer in my earlier days, look at that clause with interest, and does it not strike one as strange that if one is carrying out repair and maintenance work on an aircraft engine that does not change the performance of the engine, but it simply returns it to the required aviation standards to permit it to be used in the air, it is tax deductible. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWe could argue that many of these buildings that are affected were not even damaged in the last earthquake, which destroyed modern buildings in this city. They are functional, but because of a little sticker that is going to be put on the window, they will be deemed by legislation to be unsafe. It has nothing to do with the building and nothing to do with its design at all, actually, because it has withstood the 1854 earthquake. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003ETake the Thistle Inn, just down the road here. The Thistle has withstood every major earthquake and not popped a screw. But if that building is deemed by the council, under the new legislation, to require strengthening, that work will have to be done at a cost. It does not change the Thistle. It does not alter its characteristics or its usability. It does not add an extra\u2014it will still have the same number of toilets, the same bar space, the same conference room space. It will just be brought up to meet the Government\u2019s specifications and, therefore, will return its value to what it was before it got a letter saying it was non-compliant with the legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWe just ask what has often been touted as a Government that is pro-business and business smart, a Government that aims to reduce compliance costs, and a Government that wants to promote productive expenditure and not cause undue unnecessary costs to reflect on the IRD advice and challenge it, because we do not think that making this adjustment is going to be helpful to the economy and we do not think that it is going to be helpful to provincial New Zealand, or to anywhere in New Zealand, actually. For the IRD to tell the Minister \u201COh, but they\u2019ve got access to heritage funding.\u201D, knowing full well that, overwhelmingly, most of the affected buildings\u2014be they in Napier, Waipawa, Dipton, or on the West Coast\u2014are not going to have heritage status is simply naughty. It is quite naughty, actually. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003ESo we would say to the Minister, reject IRD\u2019s advice. Tell it to go away and do its homework. Sit down and have a talk to KPMG, sit down with Ross McKinley, and talk to the Property Council and do a quick analysis of the costs of not doing this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003ELet me just reiterate, finally\u2014before I sit down\u2014that the cost of not giving something of a tax break by recognising this work as repairs and maintenance will be that many buildings throughout New Zealand stand to be abandoned and left. And many buildings will stand to be demolished because it is going to be quicker and easier to knock an old building down, despite its character, and put up one of these new flat-roof things, which are dead boring and ugly, quite frankly. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u0022e7a15b41c8ea420792a81d69f2b2961d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e7a15b41c8ea420792a81d69f2b2961d\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E I would like to look at the clauses that relate to the look-through company (LTC) entry tax, of which there are several in this Part 2 of the bill. Clauses 14, 106, 178, 239, and 262 all deal, in their own part, with the matter of look-through company entry tax. Look-through company entry tax, for those who are following along at home, is the tax adjustment that applies when a company becomes a look-through company. The purpose of that is to trigger a tax liability on unimputed retained earnings by deeming the company to have been liquidated immediately prior to conversion. This is to ensure that reserves that would generate taxable income for shareholders, if distributed before entering the LTC regime and that would be distributed tax-free once the company becomes an LTC, are taxed to the owners at the time of entry. So it is about fairness of taxation, essentially, and ensuring that shareholders are not able to use the conversion of a company to a look-through company as a method for minimising their tax liability.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EWhat this bill does is it tightens up the formula to ensure that shareholders are neither overtaxed nor under-taxed, because the formula as it currently stands means that the tax rate applied is the company tax rate of 28 percent. This bill amends that to make the tax rate that would be applied the owner\u2019s personal tax rate, and that is designed to ensure that the tax rate applied is appropriate\u2014neither overtaxing nor under-taxing the shareholder.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EIt was not without opposition. The Whyte Group appeared before the select committee and it expressed some concerns that tightening up the look-through company entry tax rate would provide a disincentive to existing companies that may be considering entering the LTC scheme but might be put off by this new tax treatment, especially if that resulted in a higher tax rate for owners.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThe committee, I understand, considered that and came to the conclusion that the application of the owner\u2019s marginal tax rate is the appropriate course of action because the entry tax calculation is intended to ensure that retained earnings are appropriately attributed to shareholders at their personal tax rates, and currently upon entry taxpayers can be under-taxed when their marginal tax rate is greater than the 28 percent and overtaxed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003ESo I think on balance the position the committee got to was that it should not offer a disincentive, because it is just as possible that an owner\u2019s tax rate would fall as a result of these changes\u2014you know, the potential tax liability would fall as it would increase. So I think, overall, in the interests of having greater fairness in the way we apply tax rates\u2014we talked earlier on about where the tax burden falls\u2014I think it is important that when tax rates are applied, they are applied in a fashion that demonstrates as much fairness as possible. Taxing the owners at their marginal income tax rate, the rate that is appropriate for them given all their income combined, rather than an arbitrary 28 percent\u2014that, I think, is the appropriate course of action. I think that any concerns that people might have that this might offer a disincentive to companies to become LTC companies through the LTC regime are unfounded. I think that the approach that has been taken by the select committee on this is the fair one, is the right one, and all in all the approach, particularly through clause 262, is appropriate and we can support that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u00227279086864bb41e0a9f61a1d4dc35758\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227279086864bb41e0a9f61a1d4dc35758\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E I will just take a call to address some of the questions that have been raised. Mr Mark has made some quite impassioned pleas in relation to his Supplementary Order Paper. One of the issues I think we need to consider is what the best use of the tax system is. We have in New Zealand a broad based, low rate system that has been in place now\u2014and a commitment to that\u2014actually over many different Governments for well over 20 years; really 25, 30 years. It has proven to be something that a lot of other countries and jurisdictions would like to have. So the question is, really, when we are looking at earthquake strengthening, whether it is right for Government to use the tax system to subsidise that or whether there are other methods apart from the heritage way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EI think one of the things you need to consider is that if you are a church, for instance, and you have a tax-free status, a tax break is not going to help you with the earthquake strengthening of your building. It is the same if you are a charity of any other sort. It is not going to help you; it is only going to help people who actually have a tax liability. It is not going to help companies or businesses that are not profitable; it will help only those who do have a tax liability. I do not think it is the panacea. As I said, I have certainly questioned IRD. As I say, I really enjoy our policy discussions. I really love being in the tax area again after years in Parliament and not actually practising tax any more. So it is something that we are keeping an eye on, but the question is that it is not actually the panacea, in my opinion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EThere were some questions raised by the Hon Ruth Dyson around the submissions from the various tax experts in places like PricewaterhouseCoopers or CAANZ, the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand, and the New Zealand Law Society\u2014and I must say I did appreciate the reference, thank you, Ms Dyson. I think it is important to understand that we also have a generic tax policy process in New Zealand, and, again, we are envied in this country for that. What that actually means is that a lot of the tax changes that happen in New Zealand\u2014unless they are to do with rates, and they are part of a Budget process, generally\u2014they are very much signalled to and consulted with interested tax professionals from both accounting and law firms, to such a degree that one of the big issues that many of the tax professionals wanted to ask me about was whether they would still be consulted in that way. I was able to assure them that, yes, they are whenever possible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EThe Finance and Expenditure Committee took into account those submissions. They did make some changes based on those submissions, having heard from very experienced submitters. I would also say that Inland Revenue has its fair share of tax experts. I mean, this is what they do; they are some of the most highly qualified tax experts in the country. But this is not a competition about who has got the better experts. The tax professionals are, in my opinion, some of the most highly professional people, who provide the best advice that they can to the department and to the select committees. But, actually, they also want to promote positions on behalf of their clients. They do promote, I think, in many ways an extremely professional demeanour and integrity. They show a great deal of integrity in their relationship with Government and with the Inland Revenue Department. So I can assure the member that they have been taken into account\u2014that some proposals were changed. I understand from those on the committee that they gave those submissions full consideration and were very respectful of them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u002261842fb8adbc469cb120c362c12887ab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002261842fb8adbc469cb120c362c12887ab\u0022\u003EADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Hau\u0101uru):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Heamana o Te Whare, oti noa, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. I would like to speak to clause 262(48). First of all, I want to give some comments\u2014my overview of clause 262. I take from the submissions from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, the New Zealand Law Society, and the Whyte Group that they said that this clause, overall, was unnecessarily complex and restrictive and that it would increase compliance costs. That grabbed my attention.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ELater on in this sitting day\u2014tomorrow morning, in extended time\u2014there will be two bills. They are Treaty bills. I mention that because subclause (48) is around M\u0101ori authorities. My understanding is that the iwi concerned tomorrow will have less opportunity under these changes than iwi that have settled previously. I mention that because a key part of the settlement process is actually relativity to previous claims.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI mention that because this grandparented clause, although I agree with it in the context that has been explained\u2014that is, that this bill protects those interests of those M\u0101ori authorities\u2014in the instance of those iwi that have already settled, how do you address the issue of relativity for Treaty settlements that will pass tomorrow and into the future? That is a question that I would like to ask the Minister in the chair, Judith Collins, around the impact of this on all future claims\u2014on all future settlements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI think, when I read through the submissions from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and KPMG on this subclause\u2014they write that \u201Cthe current \u2026 grandparenting provision provides wider concessions than was intended.\u201D As I understand it, the M\u0101ori authorities go back as far as 1939. There was a commission of inquiry in 1952, and then there were substantial changes made to this in 2004. There is a very good reason why you would have M\u0101ori authorities. When you think about the context of the Treaty claim settlement and the value of redress\u2014and we are talking about redress, not compensation. If we were talking about compensation, there would probably be no need for M\u0101ori authorities having a different tax rate. My point is that we are not talking about compensation for these claims. The reason why, as I understand it, M\u0101ori authorities have concessions around the tax rates and around the conditions such as this in subclause (48) of clause 262 is in recognition of the fact that, No. 1, they are providing a service to all of the beneficiaries of the trusts and entities that they operate under, and, also, No. 2, it is a kind of recognition of the fact that they will receive redress, not compensation. My question is exactly that: why, then, are we changing this? Why not just leave it, and then we would not have to have the grandparented clause. It would just remain as it is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u002236cfb649aff3448488000523c840be26\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002236cfb649aff3448488000523c840be26\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to address that question. First off, let me apologise to Mr Rurawhe, because I clearly did not make myself properly\u2014I did not make my meaning as well I should have. Actually, although there is a grandparenting clause in relation to the look-through companies that will apply to the M\u0101ori authorities, there is also an opportunity for the M\u0101ori authorities just to use the limited partnership structures, which have, actually, pretty much the same effect as a look-through company. The new ones coming through will not be, necessarily, taxed at different rates because of the fact that there will be the limited partnership provisions that they can still make use of. So I hope that that clarifies it for the member, and that he can now be satisfied that M\u0101ori authorities are not going to be suddenly faced with another issue that they were not aware of.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022 data-id=\u0022ca086f67dba74c788400235b60890df5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ca086f67dba74c788400235b60890df5\u0022\u003ELOUISA WALL (Labour\u2014Manurewa):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Chair. It is a pleasure, actually, to take a call on this Committee stage debate of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2016-17, Closely Held Companies, and Remedial Matters) Bill. I specifically want to talk to the Supplementary Order Paper of Ron Mark. We have had a few engagements tonight because I think at the heart of what he is concerned about is the fact that there are going to be some buildings that will not be restored to 34 percent of the current new building standard, which, actually, is the requirement to be classified for an earthquake-prone building (EPB) notice. He has some legitimate concerns. He could not answer my question, because I wanted to know what \u201Cn\u201D is\u2014like, how many buildings are in this particular category\u2014but what I have been able to find out, Minister Collins, which I think is really fascinating, is that there are 868 in Christchurch. They have a register, and we know that there are 868 earthquake-prone buildings.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EI know that people have been talking about the issue of repair deductibility around repair and maintenance expenditure, and I was really interested in the numbers because I was wondering how much we are talking about. For Christchurch, I have discerned from a couple of googles that I have managed to do tonight in the Chamber, the cost was $20 billion to repair all the buildings in Christchurch, of which the insurance sector seems to have picked up 80 percent of that. I am wondering whether $4 billion is about the estimate for those 868 Christchurch properties that have an EPB notice attached to them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EJust following through logically, because I am trying to make a constructive contribution to this debate tonight, under section DA 2 of the Income Tax Act, which Mr Mark is wanting to amend, \u201CGeneral limitations\u201D, there is \u201CCapital limitation\u201D, and what it actually reads is: \u201CA person is denied a deduction for an amount of expenditure or loss to the extent to which it is of a capital nature.\u201D Then he has inserted \u201C, unless they are seismic works where an EPB notice has been issued \u2026\u201D. I do not agree with his proposition\u2014not generally. What I do agree with is in respect of those buildings that have actually sustained damage through an event\u2014and we know what those events were; there have been two earthquakes in Christchurch, so we know what those events are. Should there be provision\u2014because this is what this is all about\u2014for deductions based on them being classified as repairs and maintenance? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EI guess this is my question to the Minister, because from the information that I have managed to read\u2014I found the Interpretation Statement IS 12/03, which is \u201CIncome Tax - Deductibility of Repairs and Maintenance Expenditure - General Principles\u201D, what it says is that there is a general rule that costs for repair or maintenance or that restore an asset to its original condition without going so far as to reconstruct, replace, or renew, will qualify as repairs and maintenance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EI am interested in buildings that have, we know, been damaged because there has been an event\u2014so I\u2019m speaking specifically about Christchurch\u2014and whether or not then they can be seen as not capital, because if they were seen as capital then they would not be deductible, but if they are revenue, whether or not they would not qualify. So I would limit the scope of what Mr Mark has tried to do, because he wants it for the whole of the country and areas of the country where we have not had an event. But I am now specifically focused on Christchurch and whether there is some merit to what he is proposing, but only for buildings in Christchurch where we have had an earthquake. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EI just wondered whether the Minister, obviously, had an interest in this area. She asked her officials to make some recommendations to her. I would be interested in whether or not there has been some specific thought around providing support for business owners and qualifying buildings under this regime\u2014whether or not there could be a look at the rules in respect of this particular cohort of qualifying EPB notice holders. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022 data-id=\u0022f0ee7e1328cb4e70a917b0bb8f46ded9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f0ee7e1328cb4e70a917b0bb8f46ded9\u0022\u003EJAMI-LEE ROSS (Junior Whip\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002271a329513ca041f2b325906e08081d01\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 13; New Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000557\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 261 in the name of the Hon Judith Collins to Part 2 be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00221c1f448619364747b7c85d459b56471b\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 106\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand Labour 31; New Zealand First 12; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 13\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EGreen Party 13.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000558\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 260 in the name of Ron Mark to insert new clause 37B be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00225b894a88211f43588b90de576c534647\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; New Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 76\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; Green Party 13; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000559\u0022\u003EPart 2 as amended agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022be14c14fb742405d937d8ed3372f1f06\u0022\u003EPart 3  Amendments to other enactments\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022 data-id=\u0022d7259092f9b14f70913bd90c85138c92\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d7259092f9b14f70913bd90c85138c92\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows)\u003C/span\u003E: I call Stuart Nash.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221c4f21d0f2af4cb484ae40908c1a610e\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, very good choice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022df2a30ae9b8942c1947638006443449f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022df2a30ae9b8942c1947638006443449f\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH (Labour\u2014Napier):\u003C/span\u003E Hobson\u2019s choice, I think they call it. I would like to talk about clause 321, which amends section 45(4) of the Goods and Services Tax Act. This is interesting, and it is something I have been talking about for a long time, actually, but it is only a very small part of what I have been talking about for a long time. What section 45(4) does is it allows the Commissioner of Inland Revenue to refund overpaid tax, which is all very well, but after the normal 4-year period. So how tax works at this point in time is if a taxpayer is owed money by the IRD, then they have a 4-year window in which they are allowed to apply for that tax refund. After that 4-year window it drops off, so they can no longer claim it, until this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWhat this bill actually allows companies to do, or allows the commissioner to do but also allows companies to do, is actually make a claim where an application has been received in the second 4-year period\u2014so between 4 and 8 years\u2014and the overpayment is due to a clear mistake or a simple oversight, and give the money back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227107d8394fce49979bb0b24bd6d829f6\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: By either party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022add6b45c2a2e4582b5d7d070ea7e2010\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Well, by either party, but I am assuming that the IRD probably\u2014and I should give the IRD credit. I am assuming the IRD probably is not going to go to a company after 4 years and say \u201CSorry, we owe you quite a lot of money in GST.\u201D, keeping in mind that this is only for GST. I would actually like to see this extended beyond GST and to include income tax and, in fact, all types of taxes. I suspect, and I am hoping, that when the Business Transformation IT project comes into play, this sort of legislation we are talking about in clause 321 will actually be null and void because the system, as it is being built, will be able to calculate this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EBut the interesting thing is it says that the proposed method also contains a traditional provision that ensures that the commissioner may repay an amount in respect of existing claims, regardless of when this bill is introduced. The thing that concerns me a little bit about this is the word \u201Cmay\u201D. What that word \u201Cmay\u201D does versus, say, for example, \u201Cmust\u201D, is it means there is discretion on behalf of the commissioner and, in this case, she might not actually decide to pay that. I cannot for the life of me comprehend of a situation where, as the bill says, if there is a clear mistake or a simple oversight and that is acknowledged by both parties, the commissioner would not pay this, but I am just not too sure why it is that there is discretion on behalf of the commissioner to determine whether this is paid or not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThere are other words in this section that cause slight concern. For example, under the provision, the commissioner could provide a refund when the application is received, but it is not \u201Cmust\u201D provide a refund if an application is received. So what the IRD has done with this, I think, is leave a little bit of wiggle room, which I think perhaps skews this clause more towards the favour of the IRD as opposed to the taxpayer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI am not suggesting that the IRD is going to abuse this in any way, shape, or form, because it has been my experience in dealing with officials all through this legislation, and all the other bills that have come before the Finance and Expenditure Committee, that the IRD actually acts in a very fair way. That old line \u201CTrust me, I\u2019m from the IRD.\u201D is actually unfair to the IRD. But where it leaves discretion on behalf of the commissioner where there has been an agreed mistake or error on behalf of either party, I think that the legislation should probably compel the commissioner to pay back money. Keeping in mind we are, with this clause, overriding a long-established convention that there is a 4-year period within which taxpayers can claim back refunds, I just think that it should be a little bit tighter in that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EIn this Part 3 there is actually quite a bit on GST and the changes that the bill makes, because there are some errors. You know, when you get a tax system like GST, there are always some areas that need updating every now and again. There is actually a section 46, though\u2014we are talking about the Tax Administration Act here\u2014where the commissioner does have the right to withhold payments. Again, it does not really make it particularly clear what those rights are, and it should perhaps be just a little bit clearer. I know that there could be any number of circumstances that the commissioner may determine that this just is not right or it does not smell particularly good, but it would be good if it was just a little clearer in that area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThere are a couple of other things that I would like to talk about in Part 3\u2014for example, clause 319. There is a new section inserted, and it is about the consequence of change in a contract for second-hand goods. This is actually quite relevant because we are finding more and more Kiwis are actually sourcing their goods from TradeMe\u2014so, second-hand goods\u2014and what are the consequences of the change in the contract for second-hand goods? For example, in new section 25AB\u2014again, we are talking about the Tax Administration Act here, keeping in mind that Part 3 of this bill as, to be honest, in most bills, is sort of an amendment to other enactments. In these sorts of bills there are always amendments to the Tax Administration Act 1994. The Tax Administration Act actually sets out the rules under which the IRD runs the whole tax system. But in new section 25AB, this section is going to apply \u201Cto a supply of secondhand goods to a registered person if\u2014(a) the supply is affected by an event referred to in section 25(1)(a) to (c); [or if] the registered person returns input tax on the supply as a deduction from the amount of output tax for a taxable period [or] the supplier does not provide a tax invoice or debit note \u2026\u201D to the supplier.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe thing about this is it can be quite complicated, and I suppose by its very nature, tax legislation has to be. But I suppose the other thing that concerns me a little bit is when it gets too complicated, then what will happen is that people who should be aware of this sort of legislation actually just have no idea about it. So they do not use it and, in fact, they fall by the wayside. I am not suggesting that this is relevant throughout this legislation at all, but we just need to be slightly aware that this can happen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThere are also amendments to Stamp Duty and Tax\u2014sorry\u2014amendments to Stamp and Cheque Duties Act 1971. So, a bit of a mouthful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218a06f9dbc1340d7ad02fcbe0a01c9b8\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Can you say that again? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a96aaff96da844beb4330aa54e76e926\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, sorry. Let me start that again\u2014thank you. We are talking about clause 328. This is amendments to the Stamp and Cheque Duties Act 1971. It is an interesting one, because I did not actually know we had stamp duty in this country. As for cheque duties, in the days when we all wrote cheques, we all knew there was a little thing down at the bottom that said: \u201CCheque duty has been paid on this cheque book.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EBut there is still an Act. What this talks about is the definition of a registered security. So we are just amending this Act. This talks about a registered security meaning at any time any transaction involving money lent to an approved issuer that is registered by the commissioner under section 86H, or is one class of transactions so registered, or that the transaction involves money lent to an approved issuer that is treated by the commissioner as a registered security. Who knew that the Stamp and Cheque Duties Act 1971 was still around and had quite a relevance to the application to the register of securities? There is quite a lot of new legislation in this\u2014talking about interest payments, and a whole lot of different things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe other thing that some might be interested in as well is amendments to the Student Loan Scheme Act 2011. What they are doing is they are talking\u2014this Act is dealing with calculating the amount of fringe benefit tax on a facility that a person may use. Again, we are getting pretty technical here, but what I do think is important is that anyone who has a student loan\u2014and there are a number of people out there; we know that\u2014should be aware of this. What I am hoping, and the Minister might be able to help us with this, is that the IRD will do a little more than it normally does, because it normally puts out a tax information bulletin and they are very helpful. What it does is it puts legislation in plain English. What I think would be good is if the amendments to the student loan scheme were sent out in a way so that everyone who has a student loan is aware of the changes\u2014whether or not they affect them. The last thing we want and the last thing that people with a student loan want is to trigger some sort of liability that they just were not aware of. We see a number of these changes in tax legislation, and it is just important to ensure that Kiwis understand their rights.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThere are, of course, amendments to the Income Tax Act. This is tax legislation, and there are always small amendments to the Income Tax Act. Apart from, of course, Part 1, which was a massive amendment to the Income Tax Act because it just sets the rules. But we have debated that until we are a blue in the face. But there are a number of amendments around\u2014if a company provides moneys to a person, if the person is related, there is an obligation to pay money, and all this sort of stuff. Again, it is quite complicated but it is important that it is acknowledged.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u00224cc0409091dc46518e962a8861a427c2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224cc0409091dc46518e962a8861a427c2\u0022\u003EKRIS FAAFOI (Labour\u2014Mana):\u003C/span\u003E It is a pleasure to speak on Part 3 of this bill. As I was flicking through Part 3 in my office, as I am sure many other members are doing, I did come across a clause in Part 3 that I think, for me\u2014and I am no lawyer\u2014I wanted to get some clarification around the language that is being used. This is clause 334AB, which amends the Student Loan Scheme Act 2011. In particular, it replaces section 207(1) with a new section 207(1). It may be justified, in this example, but I think some of the wording may set a dangerous precedent if it were to be used elsewhere.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe new section 207(1) inserted in the Student Loan Scheme Act says \u201CNo obligation as to secrecy or other restriction imposed by an enactment or otherwise on the disclosure of information prevents an authorised person from disclosing to another authorised person any information \u2026\u201D around a student loan or any unpaid amounts. If authorised people who are trying to deal with an unpaid amount of a student loan need to talk to each other, that is a fine thing. But what I think might set a dangerous precedent if this language ended up in another piece of legislation\u2014and I want to repeat this, because we are saying that no obligation as to secrecy or other restriction imposed by an enactment or otherwise can prevent something from happening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI do not know whether this sequence of words is taken from some other piece of legislation, but I would think that if we are setting a precedent here where we say that it is fine if there are other enactments that exist that are meant to keep information secret but do not need to be enacted here or do not need to be followed, it is a dangerous precedent to set. When we are talking about student loans, and information needs to be swapped, I do not think that is too much to ask. It may be justified. But if we took this as a precedent to another level, where the information is sensitive, and we are saying \u201CWell, don\u2019t worry about the secrecy or the enactments that are upon you at that time, because we\u2019re allowing you to share the information.\u201D, there might be an issue with how that might be interpreted if an issue did arise, with some sensitive information being swapped between one agency or one person and another.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003ESo the question that I would like to pose to the Minister in the chair, the Hon Judith Collins, I guess, first and foremost, is whether this is a normal thing to be put in legislation, especially when we are talking about there being \u201CNo obligation as to secrecy or other restriction imposed by an enactment \u2026\u201D. So these are laws that we pass in this House, to be obeyed. In the wording here, it is basically saying that despite what the law says, it does not matter. That is how I read it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EAs I say, it might be justified at a low level transfer of information, but when you are getting into some serious information that might be being transferred from one person to another in a Government agency\u2014if we are setting a precedent here, where we are saying that it does not matter about what restrictions you may have on that information, it does not matter what legislation may pertain to you, and the restrictions on that information that you are sharing, because we have got a set of words here that says it does not matter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI think that is potentially a dangerous thing to do. It might be a low level thing that we are doing here, as I say, and as I have said already in my 4 minutes and 10 seconds, it may be justified. But I think we need to make sure that we are not setting a dangerous precedent, because the laws that we pass in this House should be obeyed, and not just thrown away with a piece of wording that could be used in other legislation, for other purposes. If the Minister in the chair could clarify that, it would be quite useful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u0022adc535d16d854a53ab00f8783a9d8092\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022adc535d16d854a53ab00f8783a9d8092\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to assist Mr Faafoi with his issue, where he has asked whether or not the provisions of clause 334AB might set some sort of a precedent for other information that the IRD or other agencies might have. Well, it does not, because the provisions specifically deal with student loans and the declarations made, and it is for the purpose of verifying any declaration made by an applicant for a student loan. So it is very specific. It is not a general go-to provision, should anyone want to find out any information about anyone else. It is very specific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EThe other thing is it relates to information from one authorised person to another authorised person, so it is very, very specific. There is no precedent value at all, so that is not a precedent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EI think most New Zealanders would think that when people are applying for student loans\u2014actually, a lot of it is done on trust. We trust that people are providing the right information. But where there is an opportunity to clarify something, I think it is something that agencies like the IRD are expected to do. This is taxpayer money that it is providing to students, or to people wishing to get student loans, and I think it is absolutely beholden on those people to verify, if there are any concerns, the veracity of an application or a declaration. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022 data-id=\u00221bf526812d69477ab91dcff58e360680\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221bf526812d69477ab91dcff58e360680\u0022\u003ESUE MORONEY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to make a contribution to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2016-17, Closely Held Companies, and Remedial Matters) Bill, which deals with a number of remedial matters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003EI want to refer to clauses 306 and 309 of the bill, which deal with prize money for the racing industry and how that is dealt with in taxation terms. People might be interested to know that for some time now the regime of GST has operated in a way where, if you are fortunate enough to be one of those lucky people who takes their horse to the races and the horse wins or gets some prize money\u2014and normally that is up to fourth or fifth place in New Zealand racing\u2014the prize money is deemed to be a supply of goods. It is a payment to the owner or owners of the horse for supplying the horse in the race, which of course becomes the business of the racing club. The racing club is actually making money off the fact that the horse is racing, and, therefore, that is how it is treated in terms of GST.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003EIt appears that what this change does in this legislation is actually include greyhounds, as well, and I think that is right and proper, because it is part of the racing industry, after all. Initially, the clauses just referred to horses, and I see that now greyhounds are included as well, so that is good to see. My question is around what happens if there is prize money for a dog through a dog show. How is that to be treated under this legislation? Is it treated the same way if the dog competition\u2014the dog show, for example\u2014offers prize money to the winning dog? Is that something that is dealt with under this legislation or not? It seems that it might be, depending on whether it is a taxable activity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003ECertainly, what I know of the racing industry is that for some people it is their income, and so it is a taxable activity, but for quite a few of us this is our entertainment value. We never really expect to actually make an income or a living out of it, but we have a great time dreaming about the money that our horse will win. I have a dream at the moment that a horse I have a tiny, tiny percentage share in is going to win the Derby next year. So there is my tip; I will give it to you right now. He has not got a name yet, so I cannot even tell you the name, so you will never know whether I am right or not about this, but this is part of the excitement of the whole industry. People do have these dreams, and you never know whether they are going to be realised or not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003EThe income coming from that and how it is treated tax-wise can be somewhat of an unknown entity, but I think, from what I read of these parts of the bill, it does actually matter whether the racehorse owner who received the money is involved in this activity as a taxable activity, where they derive an income, or whether it is, as I said, for many of us hobbyists, something that we do although we never really expect to make an income out of it. We expect to pay for our horse to be trained, to have the great thrill, we hope, of watching our horse step out on race day and watching it go around; and maybe\u2014maybe\u2014to have it pick up a prize. If it does, I can tell people from personal experience, there is just about nothing more exciting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000593\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003ESo it is going to be extended to greyhounds as well. I have also had the thrill of owning a tiny part of a racing greyhound. That can be just as thrilling, and also, obviously, should be treated in the same way. I have just a few questions, if Minister Collins would care to clarify the circumstances under which these amendments would apply, particularly around whether we are going to name particular breeds of dog. I see that when we talk about horses we just talk about horses\u2014we do not say thoroughbreds; we do not say standardbreds; we just say horses\u2014but when it comes to dogs, apparently it is just greyhounds.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u0022f7fa343af91742d88f795ff99749a175\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f7fa343af91742d88f795ff99749a175\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E Just a quick word to clarify\u2014I do not think it applies to dog shows, because I do not think that anyone is expecting to get anything other than a ribbon, actually. But I must say I really enjoyed the member Sue Moroney\u2019s contribution, and I am looking forward to\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fabb5212def444c9a93739af49d31d47\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: You need to get out more. They do have prize money.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e44c1f9b11b74b03ab5a290dba3686c6\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, look, as the owner of an almost-14-year-old Jack Russell terrier, I think we are past our prime when it comes to dog shows, but thank you for that opportunity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u0022d65d924be66b4972b3a47e3fd92cafa6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d65d924be66b4972b3a47e3fd92cafa6\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON (Labour\u2014Port Hills):\u003C/span\u003E How old is 14 dog years in human years, Minister Collins?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc162fb45a4045539402055146681914\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s about 90.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b5046de1df04e76babe6b3fb58f9a06\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, OK. Well, I am not going to make any negative comments about 90-year-old dogs. Can I first of all say what a breath of fresh air it is to have a Minister who is actually engaging in our questions and not disregarding them all, and who not only responds to them but knows what she is talking about. It is a blissful relief, after over 8 years of not having that, so thank you for that, Minister. I am not sure that you have always done it, to be fair, in all your other portfolios, but, you know, break the rules\u2014that is good.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI was really interested in the comment Minister Collins made earlier about tax legislation often coming as a result of substantial\u2014white paper, green paper\u2014consultation, getting a lot of understanding and support. It further cemented the concerns I had, which, with respect, were not adequately addressed in terms of why some of the major players did not have their well-considered, thoughtful submissions agreed with. We may not get to that point tonight, but I would really like to understand better why you have such disagreement between a bunch of the key players\u2014the chartered accountants, the Law Society, etc.\u2014and the IRD, or, in fact, the Minister, because the Minister does the final sign-off on the policy. It was the same with the amendment, which we did not support, of Ron Mark. It was the same theory. I am not going to talk about the details of that, but, again, X is saying this, and Y is saying that, and I do not understand. It was hard to judge who was right and who was wrong. Even if I had been on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, I think that would have been quite difficult.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI want to just get to the next question, though, which is in relation to Part 3. I have got two questions here. I am really supportive of the idea that we are allowing a longer period of time for reconsideration of tax issues, but I think it has got potential downsides, and I want to know whether the Minister has thought of them. Where somebody has made a genuine mistake in their GST return\u2014and I guess, obviously, they would either owe money or be owed money\u2014it can now go out to 8 years instead of just 4 years. During a period of 8 years I think individuals\u2019 circumstances can change substantially. What discretion is there going to be for the remission of debt?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EWe are starting on the basis of this being an accident. It was a miscalculation, there was an error in the return\u2014no consideration of somebody deliberately not paying their due tax. This is a genuine error, either on behalf of IRD or on behalf of the punter. They are now able to go out for 8 years, as this provision in Part 3 proposes, but in that time their circumstances have changed dramatically\u2014they have been ill; they have lost their job; they have lost their home, whatever; marriage break-up\u2014there will be a variety of circumstances under which the person\u2019s finances are considerably different. It seems to me that we have heard in the past that IRD\u2019s discretion is quite limited in terms of remitting debt, and I would be really interested to know, alongside the extension of the time allowed\u2014which, as I say, has got some good and bad features\u2014what discretion is going to be given to IRD to say: \u201CWell, your circumstances have changed. It was a genuine error that caused this underpayment of GST in the first place. We\u2019ll remit it. We won\u2019t require it to be paid.\u201D That is the first part of my question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThe second part\u2014I think one of my colleagues referred to it in a bit of a humorous way. Stuart Nash said he could not really imagine IRD ringing people up and saying \u201CGuess what? We owe you a lot of money.\u201D, but I have confidence that the system works both ways, that IRD does not just ring people and say \u201CYou owe us money.\u201D but would also do the same if it was reviewing a client\u2019s returns and found that, actually, IRD owed them money that it had not paid. I would just like you to reinforce my confidence, Minister, and say that that is correct.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI do not understand either, though, why this is only about GST. Why is this not about other forms of income? There are confusing lengths of requirement as to when people have to keep their returns. This now brings in another one. So it is going to be 8 years for GST. Does that mean people have to keep all their tax returns for 8 years? Currently, most people, I think, do that for 7 years. If that is the situation for GST, what about the next step? What about for other sorts of taxes? Is this a trial, or is this as far as the Minister wants to go in this regard? [Bell rung] Mr Chairman?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022397cff71932c4b738255a7d850019d16\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows)\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon Ruth Dyson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000606\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2d6ff15075b427884a50cb4523ce421\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I will probably take just a brief call, because I did want to ask about the provisions outlined in clause 328. It came as a great surprise to me that we still had stamp and cheque duties relating to the Stamp and Cheque Duties Act of 1971. I often say in jest to people that I will pay them by cheque, just to see what their reaction is. Do they have any recollection\u2014if I said \u201CIain Lees-Galloway, I will pay you by cheque.\u201D, he would look totally blank. He is of an age where he actually does not know what a cheque book is. He may remember parents or grandparents paying by cheque. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EOn a serious note, though, I know that stamp duties apply to other things. If we are going to retain this regime of stamp and cheque duties, what is it worth to the Crown now? What is the cost of administration of the Stamp and Cheque Duties Act of 1971 compared with the income gained, and how much of that income is retained by the Crown as opposed to how much is then dispersed to other parties? I am pretty sure that stamp and cheque duties are not a direct taxation to the Crown, but that might be wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThis is a huge amount of alteration; the whole of section 86G of the Act has been taken out\u2014in fact, more than that. Section 86GB, right through, has been taken out and replaced. So it seemed like quite a lot of work, timewise, but I am not so much interested in that, because we do have a responsibility as a Parliament to keep our laws up to date. It is more of just a\u2014of interest and maybe for future review by the Finance and Expenditure Committee. What is this worth? What is the Stamp and Cheque Duties Act of 1971 worth? How much do we gain and how much of it is retained by the Crown, and what is the estimate of its administration costs? Thank you for the opportunity to make those points.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022d77530527faf459fb0827f1d0cba378e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d77530527faf459fb0827f1d0cba378e\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH (Labour\u2014Napier):\u003C/span\u003E This is just a brief call, but it is something that, actually, when I was looking at it, I was not too sure of the meaning. First of all, I do like Ruth Dyson\u2019s comments about when the IRD is reviewing a client\u2019s returns. I think you meant auditing their accounts? Going really\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223dff0449858f450e891ee1edb07b6180\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: No, they have a review first. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d397aca649a4fe8a183f775f4c292a7\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, you are dead right, and I would love to see the day when the IRD phones up and says: \u201CDear sir, we do actually owe you money.\u201D That will be a\u2014hell might freeze over. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI would like to talk about clause 340, and this is inserting a new section, section CX 17B, \u201CTransport in vehicle other than motor vehicle\u201D, into the Income Tax Act 2004. This is about fringe benefit. The title of the section is \u201CTransport in vehicle other than motor vehicle\u201D. This is interesting. The reason I say that\u2014I am going to quote this, because it is just a very small line. It says: \u201CA benefit that an employer provides to an employee in the form of transport of the employee in a vehicle is not a fringe benefit if the vehicle\u2014(a) is not a motor vehicle; and (b) is not designed principally for the carriage of passengers.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe reason this is interesting is that I am actually unsure what the definition of \u201Cvehicle\u201D is in the Act. I have had a look in the bill and there is no definition in here. The reason I say that is that maybe this is talking about electric bikes, because electric bikes are obviously becoming the big thing these days. I cannot actually see an employer providing an employee with an electric bike, but you never know. But the reason why this has caused me a little confusion is you talk to a lot of people, and the first thing they say about an electric car is: \u201CThe great thing about it is that it does not have a motor. It has a battery.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EIn fact, if you look at the Teslas, you can open up the bonnet, where a motor would be in a normal car, and you can open up the boot, where the motor would be in a V-Dub, and there is no motor in either, so you get quite a lot of space there. So if a company provided, say, for example, a new Tesla without a motor\u2014one of these sports Teslas\u2014and with a back seat where you can barely fit a set of golf clubs, does that mean that it does not incur fringe benefit? You could never say a sports Tesla was designed principally for the carriage of passengers, and this is the other thing here. What the legislation actually says is \u201Cnot designed principally for the carriage of passengers.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI, for example, drive a ute. It is my parliamentary car; it is all branded up. A lot of tradies drive utes, and it is principally for getting their gear from site to workshop, etc. You would never argue that they have bought a ute principally for the carriage of passengers. I just wonder whether this is, in fact, tidying that up because the tradies have said: \u201CHey, look, I\u2019ve got to provide a ute to my apprentice. I know he\u2019s not going to use it for the carriage of passengers because I have given him so many tools that this is principally for providing a means to transport gear to and from the yard or to and from the site.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe other thing is, again, the definition of \u201Cvehicle\u201D. Are we talking about a bike, or is it something\u2014the bill talks about a \u201Cvehicle [that] is not a motor vehicle;\u201D, so obviously there is a recognition that a vehicle does not have to have a motor. I am wondering whether maybe this is one of those pieces of legislation that the Minister of Transport talks about where the Government is encouraging the use of electric vehicles. The Minister of Transport has always said \u201CWe will put into legislation clauses that encourage people to use electric vehicles. It\u2019s an aspirational target.\u201D, so I am wondering whether, in fact, an electric vehicle is not a motor vehicle, and, therefore, if an employer provides a sports Tesla to an employee, it is not counted as a motor vehicle. It is not principally designed for carrying passengers and, therefore\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002280c019b0fe9c473c849b9295e5fce8f4\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows)\u003C/span\u003E: Electric motor? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259744741f35e4a51824b308165c5d567\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Well, is it, though? But\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221cbcdac4001b40c4b99b90b7709f0da7\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s a five-seater, Stuart. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f1c9cd3a29b498f88a7d8eee016885b\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: No, the sports Teslas are not. The sports Teslas have two seats, and then a little seat at the back where you can stick your golf clubs. You cannot fit anyone in there. But you do not buy one of these cars principally\u2014and the word is \u201Cprincipally\u201D\u2014for the carriage of passengers. You buy these for a whole lot of other reasons, but not to carry people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo has it got an electric motor? Well, that is the interesting thing: what is the definition of \u201Cmotor\u201D? You know, when you talk to people about this, they say: \u201CThe thing I love about the Tesla is it hasn\u2019t got an engine.\u201D It has not got an engine. It has got a big battery and a couple of other bits and pieces that drive the wheels. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002255f69e08d3f34515a9584427639131a6\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Motors\u2014electric motors. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022298ebdd51abc49dab768b8195969cc34\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Well, is that called a motor? I am not too sure. I think you could find that maybe Elon Musk will bring his legal counsel over and say: \u201CThis isn\u2019t a motor.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259f81787d5144410a421edddca28d82a\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows)\u003C/span\u003E: Five seconds. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022536c4817fda04cb9bbf93078d894e676\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: So what I would like to say is there are a number of definitions here that are not quite clear, and it would be\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 261 in the name of the Hon Judith Collins, and the following amendments in her name, to Part 3 be agreed to:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003Ein clauses 274C and 274D, replace \u201CParts 1 to 8 of the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Act 2016\u201D with \u201Cthe Social Security Act 1964\u201D; and \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003Edelete clause 335C(3).\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EAmendments agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EPart 3 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022dcb42bbf9c4f42be952ee15c451a127d\u0022\u003EClauses 1 and 2\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022498304b2530945bea81617d8e7da9a01\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022498304b2530945bea81617d8e7da9a01\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH (Labour\u2014Napier):\u003C/span\u003E As we know, we are debating tax legislation here, and I think it is common practice\u2014and the Minister in the chair, Judith Collins, will know this because she was a practising tax lawyer\u2014that there has to be a very good reason to implement tax legislation retrospectively. If I have a look at this, there is one clause in here, clause 306(2), that comes into force\u2014wait for it\u2014on 1 October 1986. That is astounding.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f8b33088a2940acab3faa7e5f8502ca\u0022\u003EKris Faafoi\u003C/span\u003E: What were you doing in \u201986?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022291b5b2ce9f84d3f93e1803768e35ba9\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I was not born\u2014well, OK, I was. OK, I might have been at university. \u201CFor an asset affected by [subsection (3) or (3B)], if a transfer of ownership of the asset would be a financial service, the subsection deems the person to make a supply of the asset by a transfer of ownership.\u201D I am wondering why we are debating something in 2017 that actually relates to something in 1986. So the two questions I have around that are: first of all, if it really is important, why was this not done any time between the Lange, the Bolger, the Shipley, the Clark, the Key\u2014there was all this opportunity to do it. Why was it not done beforehand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe second question is: if it has actually sat on the books as something different for 30 years, what impact is it going to have? Is this sort of an academic exercise where a very smart boffin at the IRD has said: \u201CAh, look, I\u2019ve found something in the tax Act. I can get this changed.\u201D I mean, is there a competition in the IRD that whoever can amend the piece of legislation that goes back furthest wins a prize? Whoever has done that has done a fantastic job. The year 1986 was a long, long time ago. I do not even think Peter Dunne was in the House then. Maybe he was.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002294d149d41797464192e72985282af4cd\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, he was.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4ab65cb6b7845a1841dd849656c794e\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, that is right. But there are a number of clauses in this bill that are retrospective. Often, of course, there are good reasons for retrospective legislation, and most of them are about closing down loopholes. The concern I always have about retrospective tax legislation is that often people have made decisions based on the law that they have before them, and they often say: \u201CIf I had known that the Government was going to change the law, then I would not have made that decision.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI am not saying that relates to the 1986 legislation, but if you have a look at pages 16 and 17 there are a whole lot of sections here that come into force in 2006\u2014you know, 10 years ago, 11 years ago, 12 years ago; all through 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. And some actually come into play on 1 April 2017. Well! And the interesting stuff about 1 April 2017 is that obviously that is not the day it receives the Royal assent; it is the first day of the financial tax year. I understand that\u2014I get that\u2014but I suppose the concern that I do have is there is so much retrospectivity here. It would be good to know\u2014and I have no doubt the Minister knows this. I mean, I do not even know whether the Minister was practising in 1986, but there is a whole lot of stuff here\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7248808245941d8a79f47123f7ef0a7\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: 1981, thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224069b36488af4eb39119bc00e9a12207\u0022\u003ESTUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: In 1981? Well, in fact this might be a case where the Minister looked through the legislation and said \u201CAh, that was a loophole when I was practising. I\u2019ve always wanted the opportunity to close that down.\u201D But it would be good to know whether in fact a lot of this retrospective legislation is actually about closing down loopholes that have been exploited by tax lawyers and tax accountants, or whether in fact what they are is the IRD, as it often does\u2014I do not mean to disparage the IRD; I think it does an absolutely fantastic job, and I have only ever had wonderful experiences of them in front of the Finance and Expenditure. I ask whether this is just part of the continuous review that it does of tax legislation, where it finds something where the wording has changed due to the implementation or the ascension of another bill into law, and that means that another piece of legislation has to be changed, and it is not about closing down loopholes; it is actually just about maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the tax system, which we know is fundamental to tax law.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo if there are loopholes, that is fantastic. I doubt the Minister can answer this, but is it in fact about \u201COK, when we close this down, we\u2019re going to save the taxpayer $25 million.\u201D? Or is it again just about maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the system? If that is the case, then that is fantastic. But, again, I just reiterate the point that there are some pieces of retrospective legislation that do go back a long way. We will all admit that retrospective tax legislation is not an ideal way to make law. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000642\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EClause 1 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 261 in the name of the Hon Judith Collins to clause 2 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002244baf9925dc840dab935164bf8fa81cf\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 106\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand Labour 31; New Zealand First 12; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 13\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EGreen Party 13.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022 data-id=\u0022989e5a48f034460faa99e2b6bf69167e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022989e5a48f034460faa99e2b6bf69167e\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows)\u003C/span\u003E: Ron Mark\u2019s amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 260 is out of order as being contingent on an amendment already negatived.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EClause 2 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EBill to be reported with amendment presently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229266f62c3219407a91dc39b82739cc87\u0022\u003EFire and Emergency New Zealand Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221ca590836ff1401c9b797abf65ad9204\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221b61ab1b086b4e68b31fc58466aa7df3\u0022\u003EPart 1  Fire and Emergency New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u0022367ff02df38b42d199a80ddab7de6cb1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022367ff02df38b42d199a80ddab7de6cb1\u0022\u003EADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Hau\u0101uru):\u003C/span\u003E Just some overview, first of all. I want to acknowledge the more than 110 submitters on this bill. I thought that our Government Administration Committee worked very well to address all of the issues. I will go straight to a tabled amendment that I have put forward for the Committee to consider. A number of submitters talked about the importance of service. In this House in the last few days there have been a number of members who have acknowledged the difficulties that people are going through right now with flooding and other issues, and it happened today in the House as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI just want to highlight that a key part of that acknowledgment was acknowledging the service that had been given by the Fire Service and others. I think the word \u201Cservice\u201D is a key one. In the dictionary, when I looked it up, service actually means \u201Ca system supplying public need\u201D and service can also mean \u201Chelping or doing work\u201D. For this reason I have put forward an amendment, which has been tabled, to add the word \u201CServices\u201D to the name of both this bill and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, as it is called under this bill, so that it will now be called Fire and Emergency Services New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EThat is more specifically in acknowledgment of all of those wonderful people who provide that service and take pride in providing that service. It is seen as a badge of honour that they are part of what is now the Fire Service, and other services. So establishing the new entity under this bill, although it is really important, I think it is really important that we acknowledge all of the thousands of men and woman who provide the services. That is the reason why I have put forward this particular amendment. Of course, along with that, it makes a number of other changes as well throughout the bill. It is not an easy thing to change the name, but I have put this forward because I want to acknowledge all of those people who have made submissions. I believe it is important that they have their voice heard in this House, in this debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EIn the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 262, and I want to go through quite a number of the amendments\u2014can I, first of all, say that I acknowledge that we went through what I thought was a really good process in the select committee. We debated those issues robustly. There are a number of changes that have been made since the select committee hearing that have not been considered by the select committee, and I just want to highlight that as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EAlso in my tabled amendment\u2014after receiving correspondence on this matter, and I am sure I will want to speak more extensively about this\u2014is \u201Cto establish an independent complaints authority\u201D. The reason behind that, again, is an acknowledgment of all of those who are providing those services, all of those people involved in this service who have asked that there be some independence, hence the reason for calling for the establishment of an independent complaints authority, so that there are much more transparent processes when dealing with complaints. That is the reason why I have asked for this particular clause to be considered by the Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EAlso, within Part 1 of the bill, I want to talk about the changes to the clauses that relate to evacuation schemes. This brings to mind one of the key points of discussion for submitters, which was around the local committees and the planning processes that were included within Part 1 of this bill. I want to again acknowledge those people for bringing their thoughts and ideas around that. They had great concerns around how that would work and what the composition of that would be, and it is really good to see that the Minister, under these amended clauses, seems to have heard the voices of those people and has changed those clauses accordingly. So I acknowledge that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EAlso, I do highlight that in Subpart 3, clause 8(1), which states: \u201CThere continues to be an organisation \u2026\u201D\u2014that is not it. Sorry, Mr Chair. The same conditions that applied beforehand, under that clause, will continue to apply now. I look forward to making other contributions. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022 data-id=\u00229d42a8571999414da4abcaf0d1203a8d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229d42a8571999414da4abcaf0d1203a8d\u0022\u003ECLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. I appreciate the call\u2014[Interruption] Thank you, Mr Lees-Galloway, you will get your turn in a moment. A very warm welcome to you all this evening. It is great to see the Minister in the chair, Mark Mitchell\u2014I will throw a few questions your way a little bit later on; I would like to hear some of your responses. The bill we have got here is the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill. I will be specifically talking to clauses 3 and 4\u2014the \u201CPurpose\u201D\u2014and then following with the \u201CTransitional, savings, and related provisions\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003EI think the opening statement really needs to be made with regards to this being the 17th review in 21 years, and yet, despite that very comprehensive\u2014so-called comprehensive\u2014review that has taken place, just last week we have had the Minister come out and say: \u201CWell, maybe we should have actually included civil defence in this review, and we should include it, and, you know what, while we\u2019re at it why don\u2019t we shoot from the hip and let\u2019s also include St John Ambulance.\u201D Of course, it is all a little bit too late, and if after 21 years this is the best we can do then I think we need to scrap it and start again, because this really is quite a shemozzle when we look at it and we break it down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003EWith regard to the review, my question to the Minister is: was much done in relation to looking at other international studies that have been affected with amalgamation and the problems that they are having with the amalgamation? Of course, when you are looking at the size of the operation of the Fire Service throughout rural provincial areas, including all of our volunteers, and the fact that 83 percent of our operation is made up of volunteers, what sort of impact is that going to have, specifically, on our rural and our volunteer sector? All of the information that we have got from the Ferguson report and the Malone report, the review of causes and contributing factors of forest fires in Europe reports, and what is going on in California suggests that this is going to cause major problems within the organisation and its structure. So that is one point that needs to be looked at with the transition, and of course the burden of cost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003EBut when we look at the review and the contributions that have been put forward, the idea that we are going to be taking a levy on insurance to cover the cost of running our Fire Service really does not quite cut it. We really think that the Government needs to look at a better funding model than what has been proposed; specifically, around the fact that 7c out of every $100 spent on commercial properties is uncapped, and over 40 percent of the entire funding of Fire and Emergency New Zealand will come from that commercial sector, which is completely out of whack with all other sectors that are going to be contributing through their insurances.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003EWe have got a member\u2019s bill that is going to be addressing a very, very small part of it, in relation to insurance that is going to be affected by this levy. An example of that is if you get travel insurance, a very, very small component of your travel insurance looks after your luggage and your belongings, and, of course, that is captured under the insurance levy aspect\u2014except for the fact that we have the very, very improbable possibility of there being an issue with a person who has got travel insurance who is going to require the assistance of the Fire Service, yet they are expecting to be paid for that. So there are a number of things that need to be factored into this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003EWe believe that the funding model and the levy should be scrapped, and that we should be funding the Fire Service out of the general tax pool because, of course, the other part of this bill is somehow turning the Fire Service into a collection agency. It is required to have a department set up specifically to go and collect money from those people who refuse to pay. The simple fact is that in a commercial reality, if you have got people who refuse to pay their levy, and it is left to the Fire Service to go and collect that money, then the reality is that if they do not pay it, what is the Fire Service left to do? I mean, it is an integral part of our emergency service providing systems, and now, all of a sudden, it is going to be spending time, effort, energy, and money in setting up procedures\u2014something that the Inland Revenue Department is specifically designed to look after\u2014to go out there and gather revenue for themselves. The last thing we want to see is the Fire Service making decisions because someone has not paid their Fire Service levy and, therefore, it says: \u201CWell, we\u2019re not going to go and attend that fire because they haven\u2019t actually paid their subs.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003ETo finish\u2014I will be taking a few calls tonight\u2014if 40 percent of your funding is actually received through your commercial property levy, then surely that funding is going to be more concentrated into the cities to ensure that they get the funding as opposed to the rural fire services, which will be marginalised.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u002250df1a2e32e048d0bfe75f8a0b10e152\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002250df1a2e32e048d0bfe75f8a0b10e152\u0022\u003EKRIS FAAFOI (Labour\u2014Mana):\u003C/span\u003E Can I go directly to clause 33 in Part 1, which is titled \u201CDuty of FENZ in relation to volunteers\u201D. I think most people who might be watching or listening tonight might not quite understand the intricacies of how the new entity was structured in the past, but I think they would recognise that the New Zealand Fire Service, as we have known it, is made up of professional firefighters and volunteers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI think that in order to maintain the optimal level of volunteers in our volunteer fire brigades, there are some duties that the legislation says the new entity has to adhere to. But there is, I guess, to use a word from a famous movie, a \u201Cvibe\u201D about clause 33, and that is that volunteer firefighters are doing the job of volunteering in their fire services because of a love for it, because of the good for the community, or because they might enjoy the experience of being part of a volunteer fire brigade. Because of that, there is a duty within clause 33 for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to, essentially, in plain English, look after them. Subclause (1)(a) of clause 33 says that \u201CFENZ must take reasonable steps\u2014(a) to recognise, respect, and promote the contribution of FENZ volunteers\u201D. Subclause (1)(c) goes on to say that FENZ must also \u201Cdevelop policy and organisational arrangements that encourage, maintain, and strengthen the capability of FENZ volunteers.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThis is not an issue to be taken lightly, because in the departmental report for this piece of legislation, the officials\u2014and I acknowledge them in the House today\u2014did say that of all the Fire Service brigades around the country, nearly one in five brigades is operating with fewer than 80 percent of their target numbers of volunteers. So, in essence, we are saying that it is hard to make sure we have got the optimal number of volunteers, so getting people on board and keeping them is a real issue for the Fire Service.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI do not want to go too much into an Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) that I have got in respect of Part 2, but I guess what I am saying is that if you have got people within the volunteer fire service, FENZ has to make sure that it works hard to keep them in there and keep them motivated to want to continue to volunteer. There are some things, though, that get in the way. If you make the experience of volunteering for a fire service cumbersome, if you make it administration heavy, then I think you take the risk\u2014and the officials have pointed this out\u2014that you will not have the ability to attract new people to volunteer for the Fire Service. This comes to the duty that FENZ does have\u2014I think subclause (1)(c) did point to that\u2014\u201Cto develop policy and organisational arrangements that encourage, maintain, and strengthen the capability of FENZ volunteers.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI do have an SOP in respect of Part 2 that goes to the issue of traffic management plans for some of the basic work that our volunteer fire brigades do. They are mandated by law to check fire hydrants in their communities. They have no choice; it is their job, it is their responsibility, to go out and maintain those hydrants. If it is cumbersome, and if there is no looking to the future to be able to maintain firefighters and attract volunteer firefighters, I do not think that FENZ is doing a good enough job in respect of clause 33(1)(c) to develop policy and organisational arrangements to encourage, maintain, and strengthen the capability of FENZ volunteers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI guess the nightmare scenario there is that if we do make things more difficult, if we do burden our volunteer firefighters right around the country with unnecessary red tape\u2014I hazard a guess that most members of this House have to manage their own group of volunteers\u2014and if we put things in their way that take their heart and their passion away from what they are doing, they simply will not do it anymore. They will stop being volunteers in the community, because they will say: \u201CThe burden of that task and that administration outweighs the pleasure that I have to volunteer my time to do work for the community.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI will speak in more detail when we come to Part 2, but I think we must be very careful not to put impediments in the way of volunteers, and we must do all we can under clause 33(1)(c) to make sure that we are clearing the way to make sure people who volunteer are doing what they came to volunteer for, and that is go out there, help the community, make sure that they are preventing the kinds of things that we do not want to happen, like fires, and not sitting around tables doing administration work that is unnecessary, because then we will have people saying \u201CThat\u2019s enough for me\u201D, and as a whole the community will suffer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u00226f208296e5154fccaadf305de7d67a74\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226f208296e5154fccaadf305de7d67a74\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E There are a few clauses in Part 1 that I would like to speak to, but I would like to begin by speaking in support of the Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) in the name of my colleague Adrian Rurawhe, particularly with reference to the change he proposes to the name of the organisation Fire and Emergency New Zealand\u2014to add the word \u201CServices\u201D, so the name would be Fire and Emergency Services New Zealand. To people who have just tuned in, that might seem like a minor change. People might question why a member would put up an amendment to the name of the organisation. They might question what difference that could possibly make. But, actually, to the personnel themselves, and to those personnel who submitted during the select committee phase of this bill, this is an incredibly important aspect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EWe all recognise the service of fire and emergency personnel\u2014the fact that they perform an important service, and that they serve our communities. In fact, one need look no further than clause 3, the purpose clause of this legislation, which says: \u201CThe purpose of this Act is to\u2014(a) reform the law relating to fire services, including by strengthening the role of communities and improving the support for volunteers in the provision of fire services, and, to that end,\u2014(i) to unify Fire Services by establishing Fire and Emergency New Zealand\u2026\u201D. We are unifying our Fire Services, strengthening the role of communities, and improving the support for volunteers in the provision of fire services, yet that word \u201Cservices\u201D has fallen out of the name.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EIf members are unsure about how important this is to the service personnel themselves, the Professional Firefighters Union described the name as objectionable and contemptuous of the history of the many years of service provided by the women and men who have dedicated their time to the service of our communities. Surely, if this Parliament recognises the important service of those firefighters and other emergency services personnel, and if we want to strengthen the role of communities and improve the support for volunteers and, in fact, improve the support for the professionals in our fire and emergency service, surely we could do the simple thing of acknowledging the service that they have provided and acknowledging the depth of feeling from them around the name of the organisation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EWe all think of the fire \u201Cservices\u201D. We all think of the emergency \u201Cservices\u201D. I do not think it is that onerous a change for us to make as a Parliament, to simply add that word to the name of the organisation to recognise the people who actually work at the front lines providing those services. I would appreciate some comment from the Minister on that. It may seem trivial, but it is very important to the people who work at the front line for us, serving our communities. I would like to know from the Minister why the change has not been made.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EWe have a significant ministerial SOP that makes multiple changes to the legislation. Why is the change proposed by my colleague Adrian Rurawhe not in the Minister\u2019s SOP? Given that it is not in the Minister\u2019s SOP, is the Minister of a mind to support Adrian Rurawhe\u2019s proposal; if not, why not? It is not that onerous, it is not that difficult, and if it is not the course of action that the Government wants to take then I think members on this side\u2014and, in particular, the service personnel who are actually working for us at the front line, often putting life and limb on the line to keep our communities safe and to aid and assist people when they are in an emergency situation\u2014would appreciate the explanation from the Government as well as to why it cannot do that one simple thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThe other section of Part 1 that I would like to speak to is clause 28 through to clause 32. Clauses 28 to 32 deal with the prescribed health standards for operational personnel. I think all members of the House and all submitters recognise the importance of having health standards for our operational personnel who serve in our fire and emergency services, because they are doing physically demanding work, and to be safe themselves and for their colleagues to be safe and to ensure that members of the public to whose assistance they are coming are as safe as possible, we do need there to be health standards for the operational personnel.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EHowever, I think that we also need to acknowledge that this legislation does allow for operational personnel to be dismissed should they not meet those health standards. This legislation is actually quite prescriptive. Initially, when I saw this\u2014being someone who has an interest in employment relations and workers\u2019 rights\u2014I was interested to see how this legislation would interact with the Employment Relations Act and the Health and Safety at Work Act and other employment legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EI was concerned, at first, that it may in some way undermine that legislation. However, I have to say that, because it is somewhat prescriptive, this legislation actually provides a fair amount of protection for those operational personnel\u2014acknowledging that there needs to be a standard of health and a standard of fitness that personnel need to meet. It is not prescribed in the legislation; it is over to the board of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to set those standards. But, actually, there are procedures. First of all, those standards have to be communicated. The Law Society actually recommended that the standards ought to be publicly available on the FENZ website. I think that would be a minimum. They would need to be well communicated to the operational personnel themselves, as would the steps that must be taken in order to demonstrate that an operational service person no longer meets those standards, the opportunity to appeal, and the opportunity for redeployment to non-operational tasks so that their experience and their knowledge can be retained in the organisation. I actually think that this legislation is quite admirable on that front.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EFrom the point of view of looking at how we might support staff throughout workplaces around New Zealand who, through accident or injury or through poor health, become unable to fulfil the duties that are ordinarily expected of them\u2014I actually think that this legislation could be model legislation for how our employment relations legislation might deal with that situation. Although there are certain prescribed health requirements for operational personnel in this case, there are a lot of examples where people, through injury or illness, become incapacitated and unable to perform the duties that are ordinarily required of them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThis legislation is actually\u2014at first blush, I was concerned that it would undermine the Employment Relations Act; I actually think we could use this to enhance the Employment Relations Act. I must say, I acknowledge the work of everybody involved: the unions, the Government Administration Committee, and the Minister, in crafting legislation that so appropriately upholds and supports the rights of our service personnel. Given that we are doing that\u2014given that we are acknowledging that they have rights in the workplace and that they have a dangerous and arduous job to do\u2014I come back to my original point which, is to ask why we cannot give them that simple acknowledgment that what they do is provide a service to our community and that they serve our community. Can we not acknowledge that in the name of the organisation? They asked for it; it is what they want, and I think it would be a simple thing for this Parliament to do, and if the Government is not willing to do it, I think we need an explanation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u0022043e67acb6d6431ca604ae11080189c2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022043e67acb6d6431ca604ae11080189c2\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON (Labour\u2014Port Hills):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Chair, thank you for that excellent choice. My apologies to my colleague Damien O\u2019Connor. I hope he is able to make a contribution soon. Can I just say that during the time since this bill was first introduced to the House, we have seen the Kaik\u014Dura quakes; we have seen the Wellington quakes, and then the Wellington floods. We have seen the fires in Christchurch and then the fires in Hanmer. I do wish they would stop doing those natural events just after we have\u2014it is pretty horrific. And, of course, in the last week or so we have seen the floods in Coromandel and then, more recently, in West Auckland, and they are not the only horrific natural events; they are just the biggest ones that have captured the media attention and, obviously, our attention. But every day we have events that occur in our communities where we rely on our volunteer or professional firefighters to be at the forefront of what must be pretty awful situations, often\u2014particularly in rural or small communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI think that the work we do on this bill\u2014the way we proceed through the Committee stage, where we really have to look at individual clauses and take care that we have got the detail right\u2014will be a tribute to the work that those firefighters do around the country, and I, frankly, do not care whether they are volunteers or professional or rural or forest firefighters or whether they are employed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) or the New Zealand Fire Service or whether they are volunteers in their local community\u2014they are all amazing people who do a huge amount of work to keep us safe and, often, at the cost of their own family and at the risk of their own well-being.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EIt is one of the reasons why I so strongly support the first amendment that my colleague Adrian Rurawhe has moved, and I want to acknowledge and thank him. What he did was listen to the pleas of the firefighters in our various discussions with them at the Government Administration Committee. He then listened to the advice that we got from the officials about the basis of the name of the new organisation and then he balanced that up. I think he did a very considerate job and a very good job.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge the Minister in the chair, Mark Mitchell, and say that I hope he is going to take a few calls tonight. He should be able to, because he knows a bit about this bill. Before his huge promotion to the dizzy heights of being a Minister he was a more humble member of our select committee, but he actually does know the detail of this legislation well. He may well have moved on and no longer care about these things, but I live and hope that he might make a contribution before the end of the night.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003ESo just going back to the tabled amendment that Adrian Rurawhe has moved\u2014let me tell the Committee the theory, as I understand it, of why the new organisation is proposed to be called Fire and Emergency New Zealand. So with the amalgamation of the various bodies that are coming into one organisation it is very clear that it is a genuine amalgamation and it is not the New Zealand Fire Service becoming the master body, with the others joining it. This is a new organisation where they are all equal players. That was my understanding of the logic of not having the word \u201Cservice\u201D in the name, because \u201CNew Zealand Fire Service\u201D is obviously the current regime of professional firefighters and it may have been seen as being the master body and the others were being subsumed into it\u2014that is not the intention of the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI think that the officials who considered it, did so very carefully. I think they understood how big a shift that this was going to be, and I think\u2014with the best intentions in the world\u2014the name of the new organisation, as proposed, reflects that. What I think Adrian Rurawhe\u2019s amendment has done is reflect the deep commitment to community that our firefighters give, regardless of which part of the organisation they are in. And they do it not for the money, not for the glory\u2014they might like the uniform\u2014but, actually, they do it because of their sense of service. It is a big call and we should respect them for that. That is why I support the amendment to have that word \u201Cservice\u201D recognised in the name.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI would just like to make a few brief comments on another part of the tabled amendment in Adrian Rurawhe\u2019s name and that is the addition in clause 3\u2014so we are still on Part 1, obviously; that is what we are debating at the moment. Some of the submitters who made representations to us talked about the fact that they felt it was quite an internal organisation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022 data-id=\u0022f721d25eb5cd4b0d8b143f2acf72dcad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f721d25eb5cd4b0d8b143f2acf72dcad\u0022\u003ETIM MACINDOE (Senior Whip\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u00226445cede1af94e57904b6fde31dc0cd5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226445cede1af94e57904b6fde31dc0cd5\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014West Coast - Tasman):\u003C/span\u003E I appreciate the opportunity to speak positively about this bill\u2014Labour does support it. But it has raised many issues through the process. I guess that the size of a bill is not necessarily an indication of its importance, but the size of the officials report is, because there were a large number of submissions brought to the Government Administration Committee\u2014I was not on it\u2014and officials have responded accordingly to a large number of points where amendments have been made. So I would like to acknowledge the select committee, I guess, for taking on board the wisdom.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EAnyone who has been to a Fire Service event or, in particular, a gold service award event appreciates the passion and commitment of people up and down this country to, effectively, be the front line of emergency management in the vast majority of New Zealand. In the rural and provincial areas in particular, we do not have the benefit of paid staff and services that are fully funded. We are relying on volunteers and integration between the Police, the Fire Service, and often the ambulance. I have to say that in my experience it is often the Fire Service that turns up to an accident, particularly on a road that might be 15 or 20 kilometres out of town. Such is the level of response and preparedness of the Fire Service in rural areas.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000691\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ECan I say that the kinds of things that were addressed through the submission process may seem insignificant, but to the submitters they were important. I guess it does indicate the haste with which the Government has tried to push this through. One in particular is clause 76, where clarity had to be made\u2014a change was made to the legislation\u2014to ensure that people could not opt out of the levy by insuring with offshore companies that did not have a base here in New Zealand. So a tweak had to be made to make sure that the intermediary in that process would be liable for the levy. It is absolutely essential that the levy that is being imposed is imposed in a fair way that maximises the return to the Fire Service and Fire and Emergency New Zealand. I could not help thinking that its expertise in crisis management, as it will be now with Fire and Emergency New Zealand, should perhaps be applied to the housing situation in New Zealand. The Government could do well to ask it for some advice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThere was another technical issue. I am not trying to be pedantic here, but such was the level of scrutiny by the select committee, where there was no clarity on levies that could be applied on a pro rata basis where contracts were not for the full-year term and how that could have been applied. That has been clarified.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f5c46575dc7a485cb2b01f5f4dbe5cb5\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Levies are in Part 3.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000694\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2cf0140a55149d393a746ef59a0982d\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry\u2014yes, I know. I guess I am referring to the detail that the committee has paid attention to in the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ECan I say that the mandate of the Fire Service to cover both fire and non-fire services is a very important aspect of it. My experience, and that of anyone who spends some time on the road, is that the Fire Service is expected to be, I guess, emergency management at serious accidents. The police get there but the Fire Service is the one that has the expertise and the equipment to actually often extract people. So the title in the bill is appropriate, but, as was raised by submitters, the word \u201Cservice\u201D has been taken out. I know for many people\u2014when I attend gold star events\u2014that the service component, their commitment to that, is the underlying drive of their extraordinary commitment to the Fire Service. I hope that they see that it is a change in title; it is not a change in intent by Parliament. But it is one of those things that obviously was raised.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ECan I raise one other important thing\u2014and it is in a general sense\u2014and that is risk management. These are people who are managing risk every single time they go to an event. We have through this Government a risk management regime, or health and safety, which some say is over the top. I just hope that we do not see the Fire Service or the Fire and Emergency New Zealand people subjected to unfair criticism through their risk management practices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022 data-id=\u0022521b2db0a6e6461fab52fda81dac03f8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022521b2db0a6e6461fab52fda81dac03f8\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON (National):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002293914b2ed91244ddb1c24f97ab39f325\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 13; New Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000698\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 262 in the name of the Hon Peter Dunne to Part 1 be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022aadcbe5439954f659a08210e186e5b84\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 107\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 13; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 12\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000699\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the following amendments in the name of Adrian Rurawhe to clause 3 be agreed to:\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000700\u0022\u003Ein subclause (d) replace \u201Csafety\u201D with safety; and\u201D; and\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000701\u0022\u003Einsert the following new paragraph:\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000702\u0022\u003E(e)\tto establish an independent complaints authority.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022c041a4f54c924d1181be571267d17831\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 13; New Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000703\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the following amendment in the name of Adrian Rurawhe to clause 6 be agreed to:\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000704\u0022\u003Ereplace the name and definition of \u201CFire and Emergency New Zealand\u201D with \u201CFire and Emergency Services New Zealand or FESNZ means Fire and Emergency Services New Zealand continued under section 8\u201D\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022e11996351291437bb4bbe1ec1afc37b4\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 13; New Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022 data-id=\u002274332b696fbd44a3940170a6995c3f62\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002274332b696fbd44a3940170a6995c3f62\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Adrian Rurawhe\u2019s consequential amendments to Part 1, inserting \u201CServices\u201D and changing the name of FENZ to FESNZ\u2014is it, how do you pronounce it; what is the terminology?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ed8342a3a06470e937c4f2724df4e0a\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Fire and Emergency Service New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022247f83bceb154f23abac022b87682514\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I know what it stands for, but how do you pronounce it? Anyway, it is out of order as contingent on the amendment already negatived.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022b9375d30a3c14283879fd960e4e24c4d\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That Part 1 as amended be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 107\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand Labour 31; Green Party 13; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 12\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand First 12.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPart 1 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002210e39bb58dfa4d059c831cf726071139\u0022\u003EPart 2  Emergencies, fire control, industry brigades, water supply, and evacuation schemes\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u0022b7a0d484c0a24eb3af89fdb4a2608f0b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b7a0d484c0a24eb3af89fdb4a2608f0b\u0022\u003EKRIS FAAFOI (Labour\u2014Mana):\u003C/span\u003E It is a genuine pleasure to speak to Part 2 of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill. I would like to offer, in my contribution to Part 2, a bouquet, a brickbat, and an offer of help via a Supplementary Order Paper (SOP). In the first reading speech that I gave to this bill I had two bees in my bonnet, and they were bees that were put there by some local volunteer fire brigades. I would like to acknowledge the Plimmerton Volunteer Fire Brigade, and Carl Mills, who is in the gallery tonight, and also the Porirua Volunteer Fire Brigade.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe bouquet comes around clause 45 in this bill\u2014and I would like to acknowledge the Minister of Internal Affairs and the officials for seeing fit to put this within the bill\u2014and that is around the use of water for emergency and training purposes. Essentially, this issue around clause 45 came to me because Dave Anderson, who served the Plimmerton Volunteer Fire Brigade for over 35 years, found himself and that particular fire brigade in what would be called a ridiculous situation around trying to access waterways and other bodies of water in their realm for training purposes for their brigade. To give you a bread-and-butter example of that, if there was a pond or lake that they may be called to use during an emergency, they wanted to be able to train to get the water out of that pond or lake so they knew the vagaries of that particular body of water.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThey found themselves again fighting against sizable red tape, even in the instance when they would be pumping the water out of the body of water\u2014so they could test their pumps to make sure that everything worked and so that the volunteer fire brigade personnel could use the pump and knew how that worked\u2014and pumping it straight back into the body of water. So we are talking a circle here. It is not going anywhere else. It is not being used to hose anything down. The water would be pumped, via the same piece of hose\u2014I guess that is the technical term\u2014straight back into the body of water. The rigmarole and the red tape that they had to go through with some of the local bodies\u2014the local council and, I understand, the Wellington Regional Council\u2014was very onerous and, going back to my Part 1 speech, was becoming a bit of a pain. If it was too onerous, why would people turn up to do the job?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EWithin the realm of clause 45(1): \u201CFENZ personnel may, free of charge,\u2014(a) use all hydrants and control valves installed in any water mains and any water in the water mains for\u2014\u201D performing their duties, and for \u201C(ii) training for the purposes of performing or exercising FENZ\u2019s functions, duties, or powers;\u201D. They may also \u201C(b) use water from any water supply or any source of water for\u2014\u2026 (ii) training for the purposes of performing or exercising FENZ\u2019s functions,\u201D. In legalese that is saying that my volunteer fire brigades and other the volunteer fire brigades around the country will not have to go through the process that they have had to in the past. I know that they will be responsible. I think they will communicate with any relevant bodies, like the local councils or the regional councils in their area, if they are going to do that because they want to be responsible organisations within their communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI think this is a good clause within the legislation, to make sure our volunteer fire brigades can do what they are there to do, to make sure they are not held up by onerous red tape or paperwork, and to make sure that if something does go wrong and they do need to access a stream, a river, or a body of water within their catchment area, they can do that. I would like to acknowledge the Minister, the Government, and the officials for putting that in this piece of legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EHere comes the brickbat, and that is clause 48. The other bee in my bonnet was around traffic management plans for fire brigades. As I said in my Part 1 speech, fire brigades around the country are mandated by legislation to check every fire hydrant to make sure that they are operational and working so that in the event of something going wrong, when they rock up to a fire hydrant they know it is going to work. They do not have any option; that is their job and they must do it. I think we all rely on fire brigades to make sure that those things work. The problem is that if they do that and they are on roads and they are going to disrupt traffic, or potentially disrupt traffic, they need a traffic management plan.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EIn plain English: for every hydrant, for every place they check, they will have to put a plan together, map it out, work out where they are going to put the fluorescent cones and where they are going to put their personnel, when they are going to be there\u2014all those kinds of things\u2014to make sure they can do that job. In plain English, I think that is silly. They do not have to do that if there is an emergency, because they simply do not have time. I think that the type of person who is either a professional firefighter or a volunteer firefighter is going to be pretty safety conscious as it is. They would take steps to make sure that what they are doing is safe, and if they are going to\u2014I guess, for want of a better term\u2014get in the way of other people who are using roads, they will limit the time that they are going to be there and they will take steps to make sure that they do put out cones to make sure that everything is safe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EBecause that bee in my bonnet was not taken up by the Government within the Government Administration Committee or at the Committee stage, I have put forward SOP 263, to Part 2, in order to do that. There have to be some guidelines. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) will have to set out a policy in consultation with the Transport Agency and local bodies as to how things will be done, and I will leave it in their hands to put the policy in place. But I think we need to take some measures to let our volunteer fire brigades get on with their work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI did say in Part 1 that one in five volunteer fire brigades is at only about 80 percent of their full muster of staff on their brigades. So we do have an issue of fully staffing our volunteer fire brigades. So let us just give them a hand, because I think this is the kind of thing that, kind of, gets on their nerves, especially for those who are there at the moment, who want to be able to encourage other people to join a volunteer fire brigade. Why would you do it if a lot of your time\u2014I am not saying it is the majority of your time, but it is a hell of a lot of time\u2014is taken up with paperwork? That is not what volunteer fire brigade volunteers sign up for. It certainly would not look good on a poster: \u201CJoin the volunteer fire brigade and sit down for hours and hours doing traffic management plans\u201D. That is not what it should be about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003ESo I think the Government should consider supporting this SOP. I know it will probably vote it down. But, in the long term, it may be able to use regulatory powers to be able to put this into practice, because I think it is the right thing to do to make sure it is practical for volunteer fire brigades when they are going around and checking the fire hydrants. It is going to save them a hell of a lot of time, and I think it will solve a lot of the problems that volunteer fire brigades are having up and down the country with regard to making people enthusiastic about joining volunteer fire brigades.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThis legislation has been decades in the making and, as I said to the officials and in my first reading speech, it could be a long time before another train like this goes past and we can amend the legislation. So I am taking this opportunity to say that if it is going to be another period of time before we review this legislation, let us do this now and put it in here so that there is an onus on FENZ to make sure it works towards making sure volunteer fire brigades do not have to put up with this nonsense any more. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI would like to know whether the Minister in the chair, the Hon Nathan Guy, or someone on behalf of the Government might make an argument as to why it should not do this, and if it will not support my Supplementary Order Paper 263\u2014I do not imagine it would\u2014to say what steps it might take in the future to make this a practical reality, without having to go through this process, because I think it would put a lot of volunteer fire brigade volunteers and chiefs at ease if they knew this particular bee in their bonnet could be dealt with. It is not just my volunteer fire brigade; it is an issue that came up many, many times, I think, for the submitters who came through the select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003ESo there is my bouquet\u2014thank you for the water training access issue. My brickbat is around the traffic management plans, but there is hope if the Government decided to say: \u201CHey, give Kris Faafoi\u2019s SOP on this issue a chance.\u201D We will see how it goes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u00221be12c7b047c4b99916cdb2c08f24634\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221be12c7b047c4b99916cdb2c08f24634\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E I would like to speak to clauses 35 through to 42, which deal with some of the functions, duties, and powers\u2014particularly powers that an authorised person has in responding to an emergency. They cover what an authorised person may or must do if the alarm of a fire is reported in a hazardous substance emergency and in other emergencies; the duty of the authorised person to control and direct people, both operational service personnel and other people; the powers of the authorised person in relation to land, buildings, or structures; the powers of the authorised person in relation to vegetation; other powers that the authorised person has; and the power to destroy or dispose of any by-product, rendering them safe in a hazardous substance emergency.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EI want to raise with the Minister\u2014and I note that the Minister in the chair, Nathan Guy, is a former Minister of Internal Affairs, so he may have some knowledge about this, and if he does, it would be helpful to the Committee if he were able to respond\u2014some of the concerns that were raised by submitters to the Government Administration Committee. I note that the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 262 does not deal with these two concerns that I want to raise, and I would be interested to hear from the Minister how he is satisfied that those concerns are adequately dealt with in the legislation as it stands.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThe New Zealand Institute of Forestry expressed concern that only authorised personnel can control Fire and Emergency New Zealand personnel responding to emergencies, and it questioned how this will affect multi-agency responses. It recommended that a lead agency be identified and an incident controller be appointed in the response to any emergency incident. I would appreciate hearing the Minister\u2019s view on that. He may want to look over his shoulder to his officials\u2014I am sure they have a view on this\u2014and give the Committee some assurance that he is satisfied that the roles and responsibilities and, I suppose, the hierarchy of roles and responsibilities are clear in an emergency incident where there are multiple agencies involved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EI can think of the recent events with the fires in the Port Hills and statements that were made by the Minister of Defence, who is also the Minister of Civil Defence, around decision-making protocols and hierarchies, and his concern about the length of time around decisions that were made. Not entirely justified, I think\u2014some of the comments that were made by that Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002255c3b8343edf47689657d633e59b54a8\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Totally inappropriate, to my mind.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4a9bb430f8d45dbb2ef61c5e8ae889f\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: Totally inappropriate, Ruth Dyson describes them as. That is probably a fair description of the comments made by the Minister. But, given his concerns about the decision-making process in a multi-agency response, it seems strange to me that we have not had a response either from the Minister through an SOP or from the Government in response to that. Maybe if the Minister in the chair cannot respond to that, perhaps some Government members who were on the select committee\u2014I see that Mark Mitchell, the Minister who was previously in the chair, is now sitting in his seat opposite. Maybe he would be able to take a call. I understand he used to be on the select committee. Maybe he would be able to take a call and assure the Committee that this legislation adequately provides for those situations where there is a multi-agency response.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThe other concern that was raised by submitters\u2014which I would also appreciate a response from the Minister on, or, as I say, perhaps from Government members who were on the select committee\u2014is the concern raised by the Law Society that clauses 35 through to 37 are, to use its terms, \u201Cnot specifically constrained to being exercised in a manner that is reasonable or necessary.\u201D, as other clauses in the bill are. The Law Society raised the concern that there are different thresholds. Different clauses have different thresholds for response and for powers, and these may add unnecessary complexity or confusion in the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EFurther, the Law Society submitted that the relationship between clauses 35 through to 37 and clauses 39 through to 42 is unclear in relation to which clauses an action may be taken under. The Law Society did give an example, and if the Committee will indulge me, I would like to quote from its submission: \u201CFor example, if an authorised person breaks into a house that is on fire in order to control the fire, would that person be acting under s 35(a)(ii) or clause 39(2)(b) or both?\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThe Law Society also questioned the need for clause 43. I must admit, as a layperson who was not on the Government Administration Committee and who has not examined this closely, that clause 43 did read strangely to me, and I also question the need for that clause. Clause 43 is somewhat circular, in that it says that \u201CThe performance or exercise by any person of any function, duty, or power under sections 35 to 42 is conclusive evidence of his or her authority to perform or exercise that function, duty, or power.\u201D\u2014i.e., by performing the function, that is evidence that they were authorised to perform that function. Maybe there is something more to this. I look back at the definition of \u201Cauthorised person\u201D, and it seems clear that the definition of \u201Cauthorised person\u201D covers that off. I am wondering what exactly the purpose of clause 43 is. It seems odd and rather circular in its wording, and I would again appreciate some clarification from the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EAgain, I think the Minister can give the Committee confidence with his explanation, that the concerns raised by the Law Society about clauses 35 through to 37 and their relationship with clauses 39 through to 42\u2014that the Minister is satisfied that those concerns are not warranted\u2014and also, perhaps, explain exactly what the purpose is of clause 43, which seems strange at first reading. I have not seen anywhere in the report\u2014I may have just missed where it is in the report\u2014that explains what the purpose of clause 43 is and why we need it in the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThere are a few questions there for the Minister. If the Minister, because he is in fact a former Minister of Internal Affairs and not the current Minister of Internal Affairs, is not able to answer those questions, then perhaps members opposite who were on the select committee might be able to provide some insight as well. Certainly, for those of us who were not on the committee, just by reading the bill and by reading the concerns that were raised, there do seem to be some issues there that warrant some explanation from the Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u00228b6132d375904e5e82368ab9c9622fda\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000733\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228b6132d375904e5e82368ab9c9622fda\u0022\u003EADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Hau\u0101uru):\u003C/span\u003E I too want to speak about the powers of authorised persons. I think it is important that within this Part 2 there are very clear rules around what the service is able to do and what it is not allowed to do. I remember one of the concerns of submitters around the powers of authorised persons was to do with shutting down the power to whole blocks, within a city block, or shutting down the water supply and the effects that that might have on people, say, who might be at home, on dialysis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ESo that was raised as a potential issue. I think the Government Administration Committee was satisfied that before the authorised person would take such action\u2014they would not take that action directly; that is the information that was given to the select committee\u2014they would do that through the companies responsible for the power supply and through the local council. But it does raise for consideration the very serious issues of the very real powers of an authorised person and just how extensive they actually are.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000735\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI go back to my comments on the first part around service. These people, these men and women who perform these services, take pride in the responsibility that they have, and I am certain that the very real and strong powers that exist within Part 2 will be exercised in a way that is appropriate. I think that goes to the trust that New Zealanders have in the fire and emergency services. I just wanted to highlight that as one of the issues that was raised at select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000736\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI also stand in support of my colleague Kris Faafoi\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 263. I live in a very small community with a volunteer fire brigade, and they seem to have practices and do other community services when called upon. I am told directly by that service that it is cumbersome having to do a traffic management plan. When you consider we have a community of around only 400 people, access to roads for non-emergency activities is something that I think Mr Faafoi\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper will be great for, not only for the city folk but also in small, rural towns, although this particular instance that I am talking about is deemed to be an urban service because of the geographical location and the coverage that this service actually has.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000737\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI think it is really important that we recognise the great work that these volunteer services have, and that we do everything that makes their job easier. We were told on a number of instances during the select committee process that this was an enabling bill. I think that if this truly is an\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022 data-id=\u0022a4cba9c32be7477ebd3cc28f0a1dd240\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000738\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a4cba9c32be7477ebd3cc28f0a1dd240\u0022\u003ETIM MACINDOE (Senior Whip\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022 data-id=\u0022b663c32344024cc8abc772ced4f3d5ad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000739\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b663c32344024cc8abc772ced4f3d5ad\u0022\u003ECLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair, I appreciate that. I will just take a call on Part 2, moving forward from clauses 45 through to 58, including Kris Faafoi\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) adding clause 48A. I want to start with clause 58. When I read through this, it does not make any sort of positive sense. It says here, in deleted clause 58(1): \u201CFirebreaks on forestry land\u2014(1) FENZ may, if it considers it necessary for the purpose of fire control, require the landholder of forestry land\u2014(a) to make and clear any firebreak on\u2014(i) the forestry land: (ii) any other land (with the consent of the occupier of the land or of the owner if the land is unoccupied):\u201D. It goes on to say, in deleted clause 58(1)(b), Fire and Emergency New Zealand may require the landholder \u201Cto remove from any firebreak, or from any other part of the land on which no trees are standing, any vegetation or other material of any kind.\u201D We have some serious problems with that, for the simple fact that it has been completely removed. It is no longer in the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000740\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022919a8e8d-afaf-4342-ad6f-71cbb6024544\u0022\u003EWhat that means, and, in fact, we are seeing it right now with the likes of the Department of Conservation, which has had a 93 percent reduction in fire management, and with no ability for the fire department\u2014for Fire and Emergency New Zealand under this bill\u2014to actually involve themselves and actually intervene on this matter to ensure the safety of our scrublands and our rural fire service. It goes on with an amendment\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022 data-id=\u002271ef18fbbf8446e3b5e0e261e5457205\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000741\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002271ef18fbbf8446e3b5e0e261e5457205\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member. The time has come for me to report progress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000742\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000743\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003EHouse resumed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000744\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003EThe Chairperson reported the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2016-17, Closely Held Companies, and Remedial Matters) Bill with amendment, progress on the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill, and no progress on M\u0101ori Purposes Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000745\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003EReport adopted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20170314f5753a237f0d4d768847eae63ba499d6000746\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 9.56 p.m. to 9 a.m. (Wednesday)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002236c53ad858664520a2a89246e22d24e5\u0022\u003ETUESDAY, 14 MARCH 2017\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000002\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223344017e4c8342a1a489efa970b57d5f\u0022\u003E(continued on Wednesday, 15 March 2017)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022950a99913d524f87acb66826b53ea8b4\u0022\u003EKarakia\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b429340c7d314cee941f4561f0f2c0b4\u0022\u003EKarakia\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022 data-id=\u0022f503c9a83bd5447e80bc30b5275e4e35\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f503c9a83bd5447e80bc30b5275e4e35\u0022\u003ENUK KORAKO (National):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Mana Whakaw\u0101. As part of our tikanga, I would ask that we be able to do a karakia before the beginning of our hui today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210f9ef12165d4407a455fef91fab939f\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227692e227ab8c4ea588140caac5fcf5f0\u0022\u003ENUK KORAKO\u003C/span\u003E: Kia ora e Te Mana Whakaw\u0101, \u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koutou e hoa m\u0101 me \u014D t\u0101tou m\u0101tua t\u012Bpuna, \u0101, ko t\u0113nei karakia e huihui i a t\u0101 t\u0101tau katoa, kia \u012Bnoi t\u0101tou. Kei mua Koe i a m\u0101tou mahi katoa Ihowa, hei tohutohu i a m\u0101tou mahi katoa. Ko koe an\u014D hoki te whakakaha i a m\u0101tou mahi katoa, he mea t\u012Bmata, he mea mahi, he mea whakautu i roto i a Koe. Ka whiwhi ai hoki m\u0101tou ki te ora tonu i te mea, atawhaitia nei e koe. Ko Ihu Karaiti nei hoki t\u014D t\u0101tou Ariki. \u0100mene, kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and acknowledgments indeed to you collectively fellow colleagues and our ancestral forefathers. This prayer is to bring us together. Let us pray. You are before us in all that we do, Jehovah, to guide us in all our work. You also give us the strength in all that we do, to start it, to work on, and to respond through You and continue to receive wellness because You take care of us. Jesus Christ is indeed and also our Lord. Amen. Thank you.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022486cbdaf0f464e559906681ea46c645a\u0022\u003EIwi and Hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022692c8606d47a42c19a63a9575396cca0\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022 data-id=\u0022e3c7e4d1d9e744fb835d375986e75a90\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e3c7e4d1d9e744fb835d375986e75a90\u0022\u003EHon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Iwi and Hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. In November last year I had the very real privilege of being welcomed on to T\u0101kitimu Marae in the Hawke\u2019s Bay for a very special day. I attended the launch of Te Arawhiti Truth and Reconciliation Report by Sir Anand Satyanand and signed the deed of settlement with the iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. The hospitality showed to the Crown party by the iwi and the hap\u016B was outstanding, and some 3 months on I am honoured to extend a warm welcome to the members of the iwi and the hap\u016B who have travelled here today for the first reading of their bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003ETo those of you who have worked so very hard to make today possible, I offer you my sincere thanks, for the enactment of this bill is going to mark the end of a long-running Treaty settlement process between the Crown and the iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa\u2014a journey that started in the early 1980s. Negotiations themselves have taken the best part of the last 10 years. While I acknowledge those who are here in the House today, I want first to mention members of the iwi and the hap\u016B who have passed on while they were continuing their negotiations. This includes Te Ariki May and Valetta Wairau, who, sadly, passed during this process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003ECan I also acknowledge the mandated representatives of Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa, with the lead negotiator John Whaanga, and the chair of Te Tira, T\u0101mati Olsen, the trustees of the post-settlement governance entity, and, indeed, all iwi and hap\u016B members. I acknowledge the dedication of the original claimants, who pursued recognition and justice and set up the Wairoa inquiry district working group. They had foresight, and they paved the way for the establishment of Te Tira all those years ago. Can I particularly mention Paora Whaanga for his work. I actually visited him in his home in Gisborne on the morning of the signing ceremony and presented him with the deed of settlement for his signature because he was not well enough actually to attend the signing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EFinally, I want to acknowledge the chief Crown negotiator John Harbord and the former chief Crown negotiator Pat Snedden for their dedication to the settlement, and all the Government officials for the work that they have done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EThe journey to settlement stretches back many decades, when the claims across the Wairoa inquiry district were originally lodged in the 1980s. This was actually more than a generation ago. Some here were not even born. A few years later the district working group agreed to work together to resolve historical Treaty of Waitangi claims with the Crown and they established Te Tira. Te Tira strived to bring together the wh\u0101nau, the iwi, and the hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and look for the best way to address their grievances. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EIt was not an easy decision to make, but Te Tira decided to forego the Waitangi Tribunal process and enter into direct negotiations with the Crown. Despite choosing this path, Te Tira never forgot their main settlement goal of telling the story of the iwi and the hap\u016B and of recording it for future generations. This eventually led to the cathartic process of Te Arawhiti, when the grievances of iwi and hap\u016B members were aired at T\u0101kitimu Marae and culminated with the release of the Te Arawhiti Truth and Reconciliation Report by former Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand\u2014and I mentioned that a little earlier. In the meantime, Te Tira received a mandate from the iwi and the hap\u016B in February 2011 and signed an agreement in principle in June 2014. On 25 May 2016 Te Tira and the Crown initialled the deed of settlement, and that was signed in November last year. This bill provides for the final settlement of the historic claims of the iwi and the hap\u016B. It gives effect to the deed of settlement signed last year. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EThe history of the Crown\u2019s interactions with the iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa is marked by land alienation, warfare, and socio-economic deprivation. From the very beginning the relationship was flawed. The Crown did not take Te Tiriti o Waitangi into the Wairoa rohe, so the iwi and the hap\u016B actually had no opportunity to consider whether or not to sign it. In the mid-1860s, the Crown then started to purchase large areas of land. It failed to adequately survey some of the blocks it purchased. It failed to fully investigate who had customary rights. And it did not set aside adequate reserves.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EAnother tragic element of the relationship between the Crown and the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa was the outbreak of war, which began when the Crown attacked the Omaruhakeke k\u0101inga on Christmas Day 1865. Some members of the iwi and the hap\u016B were captured by the Crown and summarily executed; others were detained without trial for 2 years on the Chathams. Other members fought alongside the Crown, and this led to ongoing divisions between hap\u016B who fought on different sides of the conflict. The war also resulted in the loss of property for Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. Under duress, members agreed to cede more than 42,000 acres of land to the Crown while those who did not sign, effectively, had their customary interests confiscated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EA year later Te Kooti led an escape from the Chatham Islands to the mainland with other prisoners. Again the Crown asked some Wairoa M\u0101ori for military assistance, and members of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa fought on both sides of the ensuing war. The Crown conducted further summary executions during conflicts during the late 1860s.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EIn the 20th century the Crown purchased substantial areas of land in the rohe for the Urewera consolidation scheme and to establish Te Urewera National Park. The iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa were not consulted. More than 500 acres of customary land has also been compulsorily taken for public works since the 1870s. Many of the Crown\u2019s policies have contributed to the migration of large numbers of individuals from the iwi and the hap\u016B, and they have left their rohe. Those who have remained have endured socio-economic deprivation, and have not enjoyed the same opportunities that many other New Zealanders have enjoyed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EAs I said at the signing of the deed of settlement, the Crown does not have the means to fully compensate people for the loss and prejudice they have suffered, but it is hoped that the deed of settlement will provide a good basis for the future. The settlement contains the agreed historical account, which is a very important part of any deed of settlement. The total financial and commercial value of the settlement is $100 million, making it one of the largest settlements to date. Financial and commercial redress is mostly made up of a quantum, but it also includes the right to purchase deferred selection properties and surplus Crown properties, and also the transfer of interests in the Wharerata and Patunamu forests.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EThere is so much more that I could say that is contained in the deed of settlement, but you can see from the shuffling of my papers that I recognise that time is starting to run out, so I will leave it to other members to talk about other aspects of it. There will be an opportunity in the select committee to have a good look at the contents of the deed of settlement as it has been incorporated in the legislation. I hope that this first reading and that the ensuing process is going to mark a new beginning in the relations between the iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and the Crown, and I hope that the settlement is going to support the iwi and the hap\u016B in realising their future endeavours and aspirations. Once again, I thank all those who have played their part in getting to this stage, and I commend the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u00227a15dee0ec604b7cb5ae25eed027caa9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227a15dee0ec604b7cb5ae25eed027caa9\u0022\u003EMEKA WHAITIRI (Labour\u2014Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti):\u003C/span\u003E Kei \u014Dku tu\u0101kana, kei \u014Dku tung\u0101ne ng\u0101 waewaetanga o te p\u0101rekarekatanga o ng\u0101 rangatira o Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu, o t\u014D t\u0101tou kuia tapairu a Rongomaiwahine, nau piki mai, nau kake mai! He mihi whakatau t\u0113nei n\u0101ku ki a koutou ng\u0101 whanaunga o t\u014Dku kuia a Mirihutukatowahine kua tau mai i runga i te kaupapa o te r\u0101 nei, nau mai. Me tapatahi ai \u014D t\u0101tou whakaaro ki ng\u0101 mahi kai mua i te aroaro. Me t\u016Btira mai ai hoki t\u0101tau ki roto i t\u0113nei mahi, kia aha ai? Kia whai hua ai \u014D t\u0101tau na hap\u016B, \u0101, kia whai hua ai \u0101 t\u0101tou mokopuna heke iho. N\u014D reira, e Te Iwi, e ng\u0101 whanaunga, e kui m\u0101, e koro m\u0101, nau mai, hara mai, nau mai, hara mai, nau mai, hara mai! E Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe, e ng\u0101 mema o Te Whare nei, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tau katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E[To you, my elder siblings and brothers, the agile legs of leisure of the esteemed ones of Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu, and of our elder and first-born womenfolk Rongomaiwahine, come forth, come hither! This is my welcome homage to you collectively the relatives of my grandmother, Mirihutukatowahine, who have arrived upon the matter of this day, welcome. Allow our thoughts to be united in regard to the tasks before us. Let us also line up as one in this work, and why? So those subtribes of ours and eventually our grandchildren will benefit from the outcomes. Hence, to you the tribe, the kinfolk, the elder women and menfolk, come forth, come hither, come aboard, welcome, welcome, welcome! Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and my acknowledgments to us all, the members of this House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EIt is indeed my privilege and honour to lead Labour\u2019s unwavering support for the first reading of this very important, very significant piece of legislation, the Iwi and Hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill. I too want to add my dearest acknowledgment and thanks to the many wh\u0101nau who have travelled from Te Wairoa, M\u0101hia, Waikaremoana, and those who live here in Whanga-nui-a-Tara. Kei te mihi ki a koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations has aptly laid out, in a nutshell, the parts of this bill. All that I want to add is that the bill does, like the Minister said, give effect to the deed of settlement, which was signed at T\u0101kitimu Marae in Wairoa on 26 November 2016. We are aware that this is a settlement bill for many iwi and hap\u016B that are covered under it. It is recognised as the fifth-largest Treaty of Waitangi settlement to date.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EJust to paint where this beautiful rohe is, it is south of Gisborne, around the Wharerata Ranges and down into northern Hawke\u2019s Bay. It includes the M\u0101hia peninsula, the town of Wairoa, and Lake Waikaremoana. The iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa is one of six large, natural groups negotiating the settlement of the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu. Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu is the third-largest tribal group in New Zealand. Again, while my whanaunga are in the gallery, I want to acknowledge the stellar job that many of our wh\u0101nau from Te Wairoa and M\u0101hia did in hosting the many iwi from the motu in our recently successfully held Te Matatini. Kei te mihi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThere are approximately 25,500 people in the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. As the Minister said, the bill was first lodged in the 1980s. I want to, as in the Minister\u2019s contribution when he talked about the early 1980s, also acknowledge those who are no longer here\u2014te ariki me people like John Scott, Lena Manuel, Ozzie Huata, and many of those kaum\u0101tua who led the people of Wairoa in a very important way. I also want to add thanks to the negotiators John Whaanga and T\u0101mati Olsen. I would say that we kind of are of the same era, in that both John Whaanga and I went to Victoria University together, and in that T\u0101mati Olsen and I were both chairpersons of our boys\u2019 school, Te Kura M\u0101ori o Porirua. It is not an easy job to be a negotiator on behalf of your people, particularly in this claim, where the Crown wants to settle expediently and where people want more. But I want to acknowledge all the Treaty negotiators, both on the part of the iwi and also the Crown, in ensuring that we get this bill into this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EHopefully, touch wood, having had a quick talk with the chairman of one of the hardest select committees, Nuk Korako, as to whether there will be any problem with the quick passage of this bill, so that we can get it back into the House for the third and final reading\u2014he assures me that there will be no issue with that. So, hopefully, we will all be working really hard as members of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee to ensure that we are back here in a very timely manner.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EIn reading the legislation itself, there are some highlights that I want to draw to the House\u2019s attention. The Minister did acknowledge the acts and omissions of the Crown, but, for me, in the acknowledgment part of the bill, clause 9 of Part 1, it talks of the native land laws and makes acknowledgments. Clause 9(9)(b)\u2014and I do want to read it, for the benefit of the House\u2014says that \u201Cin 1867 and 1868, the Native Land Court awarded ownership of numerous blocks in which the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa had interests to a maximum of 10 individual owners and, by allowing these owners to dispose of this land as their absolute property,\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThis raises the issue around the importance of land remaining in the hands of M\u0101ori. It raises the issue that, when we are making decisions on land, it is not individuals\u2019 but the collective decision that is at risk here. In this acknowledgment, in this particular clause, clause 9(10), we are talking about the \u201CTahora 2 secret survey\u201D, where that land was surveyed without the knowledge of the iwi. We talk about the \u201CTahora 2F2 survey\u201D in clause 9(11), which says that over 803 acres more than should have been taken was taken and never returned. We go down to clause 9(12), \u201CAdministration of the East Coast Native Trust\u201D, and clause 9(13), \u201CCompulsory vesting of Waipaoa 5\u201D. We have clause 9(14), \u201CEarly twentieth century Crown purchases\u201D, and the sham of a provision in the native land laws for M\u0101ori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThis presses upon a point that I have been championing since I have been in Parliament, and that is around Te Ture Whenua Maori Act reforms. We run the risk of doing exactly what the Crown is acknowledging in this significant piece of legislation\u2014that, through the acts and omissions of the Crown, we could potentially allow individuals to make decisions on collectively owned land. That is what this clause, clause 9, is raising when I read it. It is a timely message to us all\u2014that in honouring this important piece of legislation for the people of Te Wairoa, we do not bring into this House legislation that could potentially lead to further alienation of land.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge that clause 9(21), \u201CThe environment\u201D, does acknowledge that the Crown will have a relationship with Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. Clearly, we have legislation in this House around water quality and changes to the Resource Management Act\u2014and I am only saying this, wh\u0101nau, because while we are talking about this particular legislation, we have also got to keep an eye on what legislation is coming through this House that may impact on the protocols and the partnerships and the relationships you are having with these particular agencies in relation to the environment. So I leave that there for you to ponder and to consider.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EI understand that this has been a well-thought-out negotiation with the Crown to get the best possible deal for our people of Te Wairoa and M\u0101hia and Waikaremoana and T\u016Bai. I do want to acknowledge the hard work of all those involved. I do want to acknowledge the work of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations in bringing this bill back in a timely fashion. There are many challenges ahead, but, for now, this is a time to acknowledge in the House you who have travelled down to hear the first reading, to acknowledge the hard and difficult work that you have all put in to getting to this point, and to assure you that when this bill leaves this House to go to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee to give it its due test to ensure that we have got the right settings in this piece of legislation, it is not only a time for the public to comment on this legislation but for those most affected by it to do so. I encourage not only members of this particular iwi organisation to submit to it but anybody in Te Wairoa and M\u0101hia and Waikaremoana to come in front of the select committee to put their views upon it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EWe look forward to the bill coming back into this House. Like I said, I have got a commitment from the chairperson that we will do this in an expeditious way. I assure you we want to get this bill passed before the House lifts in early August, and I wish all the wh\u0101nau who have travelled far all the very best in your return home. N\u014D reira e te iwi, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tau katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022 data-id=\u002278e25e14578b43b3bf1ab3a155f1bc47\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002278e25e14578b43b3bf1ab3a155f1bc47\u0022\u003EMARAMA FOX (Co-Leader\u2014M\u0101ori Party):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Mana Whakaw\u0101. Anei te mihi atu ki a koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou te rohe o Te Wairoa, Te M\u0101hia, Te N\u016Bhaka koutou katoa i tae \u0101 t\u012Bnana mai i t\u0113nei Whare. Nei te mihi atu ki a koutou, me \u014D koutou kaum\u0101tua, ng\u0101 here whakapapa e hono ai t\u0101tau katoa i roto i te rohe o Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu, \u0101, nei te mihi atu ki a koutou! Kai te mihi atu ki a koutou ng\u0101 rangatira, ng\u0101 h\u0101kui, ng\u0101 h\u0101koro, kai waenganui i a koutou. Hari koa rawa atu ki te t\u016Btaki i a koutou e noho nei i t\u0113nei w\u0101. Kai ng\u0101 iwi o te rohe o Te Wairoa: ko Rongomaiwahine, ko Ng\u0101i Te Rakat\u014D, ko Ng\u0101ti R\u0101kaipata, ko Te Whakak\u012Bnui-\u0101-Rua, ar\u0101, ko Ng\u0101ti Hinepua, ko Ng\u0101i Te Ipu me Ng\u0101i Tahumatawh\u0101iti, ko Ng\u0101 Tokorima-\u0101-Hinemanuhiri, ko Ng\u0101ti Hinemihi, ko Ng\u0101ti Hinehika me ko Ng\u0101ti Hinganga. Koinei koutou, kai te mihi atu ki a koutou, hara mai, hara mai ki t\u0113nei Whare \u014D t\u0101tou, \u0113hara t\u0113nei i Te Whare o ng\u0101i m\u0101tau, o te ao t\u014Drangap\u016B\u2014eh\u0113! Ko Te Whare nei, Te Whare o Te Tangata o Aotearoa; ko koutou t\u0113n\u0101, ko t\u0101tou t\u0113n\u0101, koinei t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, hara mai, hara mai, hara mai.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. I acknowledge you, each and every one of you of the Wairoa, M\u0101hia, and N\u016Bhaka region who have arrived here physically at this House. I commend you, your elderly folk, and the genealogical ties that connect us all in the territory of Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu, so I salute you collectively indeed! I congratulate you esteemed ones, elderly women and menfolk amongst you. It is indeed a real pleasure to meet you seated here at this time. Here you are then, the tribes of the Wairoa region: Rongomaiwahine, Ng\u0101i Te Rakat\u014D, Ng\u0101ti R\u0101kaipata, Te Whakak\u012Bnui-\u0101-Rua, namely Ng\u0101ti Hinepua, Ng\u0101i Te Ipu and Ng\u0101i Tahumatawh\u0101iti, Ng\u0101 Tokorima-\u0101-Hinemanuhiri, Ng\u0101ti Hinemihi, Ngati Hinehika, and Ng\u0101ti Hinganga. This indeed is you collectively, and so I doff my hat to you, welcome, come forth to this House of ours, which is not ours of the political world\u2014hell\u2019s teeth! This House belongs to the individual of New Zealand; you are that individual, we are that individual, and this is our House. Congratulations, come hither, come forth, welcome.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EToday marks an important turning point in the relationship between ng\u0101 iwi and ng\u0101 hap\u016B o Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and the Crown. The signing of the deed of settlement last year in November was a significant occasion\u2014such a proud moment. It was such an honour to be there in your presence, to see all those amazing photos of your tupuna lined up in front of the whare, to be greeted by the ope taua in a p\u014Dhiri with the wero\u2014so proud.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EIt is a little bit, you know, confusing sometimes for M\u0101ori politicians to be walking in with the Crown to offer the apology on behalf of this Government to our people, but I always take it as an opportunity just to live in the moment and embrace the wairua of the occasion. How proud I was to be there with you in all your glory with all your tupuna lined up on the mahau of that whare to recognise the significant work that you and your wh\u0101nau and your kuia and your kaum\u0101tua for years and years and years have been doing to bring you to this moment, and at that time to that moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThe task has not been undertaken lightly. It is a huge responsibility that we bear to rectify the injustices of the past, to carve out a place for our present, to ensure that our children and our tamariki are catered for in this significant deed of settlement and at the signing. We put our best negotiators on it to make sure we can get the best deal for the future of all our tamariki and mokopuna for the years and the generations to come. Indeed, you feel the weight of the responsibility and the burden of that task, and it is not the end; it is merely the beginning. So I salute you today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EWe need to acknowledge those who have passed, r\u0101tau kua mene atu ki Te P\u014D, p\u0113r\u0101 ki t\u0113r\u0101 a Te Ariki Mei \u0113ngari an\u014D, ko ng\u0101 kaum\u0101tua katoa kua hinga, i \u0101 r\u0101tau e tatari ana m\u014D t\u0113nei w\u0101 [those who have assembled in the void, like that Te Ariki Mei, but also all the old people who died during the time that they were waiting for this moment].\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EKua mate atu r\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[They have all passed away.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EWe think of those who have passed on in the recent past, but, also, in the 175 years coming to this point in time\u2014all of those who have gone before and fought the entire way to ensure that they had the best for our tamariki and our mokopuna at every turn.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EI would also like to acknowledge Paora Whaanga, Miniata Westrupp, Seenie Kahukura, and Pauline Tangiora, who have continued to provide wisdom and expertise to ensure that the story of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa is told with integrity and that people are firmly focused on the many possibilities for the future. And so many have been involved\u2014and, of course, T\u0101mati Olsen, who has been acknowledged already, and Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa, which is ready to take you on into the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThe negotiation team, which was led by John Whaanga, is to be congratulated on what you have achieved. This is your story of your people, of your historical account\u2014your history in your words. The account and the acknowledgment of the breaches and the apology are important parts.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThis is the fifth-largest settlement to date\u2014$100 million. I have been to Wairoa a bit over the last few years and spoken with your district council, and I look at the population data and think \u201C60 percent of Te Wairoa and the surrounding district are M\u0101ori.\u201D And I see that and go: \u201CThat\u2019s fantastic.\u201D Do you know what that means for your people\u2014to look at those numbers and think about the asset that comes with that knowledge, for the people who have never given up, who are resilient, who are strong, who are here, and who lead the way? I challenge the Wairoa District Council to look at those numbers and not see it as a deficit of \u201COh, no. What are we going to do? We\u2019ve got a 60 percent M\u0101ori population.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThat is an asset, and something to be proud of. You hold the balance of power in your rohe. I was proud to see that this year, or last year, M\u0101ori wards in Wairoa were agreed to be established in the last vote, to have representative places. Whether or not you are M\u0101ori\u2014but to have a place always there for your representation; that is significant.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ETe Rohe o Te Wairoa can be proud of their many, many achievements, and you only need to look at your own representative, T\u0101 Timi Kara, T\u0101 Turi Kara, the first M\u0101ori Minister of Native Affairs, who also can claim the accolade of being the first M\u0101ori Prime Minister, as he took on that role in an acting position at least twice during his term.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EI am inspired by your tamariki and your mokopuna, who have the vision of Te Wairoa Reorua 2040\u2014a bilingual Wairoa. They inspire us. This future generation is already carving out a place for their future, and it recognises that Te Reo M\u0101ori is part of my future, part of their future, part of their identity, part of their cultural and language identity for Te Wairoa, and it is no surprise\u2014it is the home of Te \u0100taarangi; no surprise at all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EI have got a whole great big speech that I am not even going to get to. You know what? When I think about Te Wairoa\u2014yes, there is a lot of suffering there sometimes; there is great deprivation there. There is hurt there. People have to go to get their dialysis treatment down in Hastings. People have to sell their land. You cannot even get home dialysis because you are on water-tank supply. But the power is in your hands. You tell us. You have 60 percent M\u0101ori population. You have one of the largest settlement redress packages ever in the history of this nation. You have a powerful community. You have hard-working people who have learnt that by the sweat of our brow we will make our bread, and you continue to do it today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EMy ancestor Nuku-pewapewa was lost at the mouth of the Wairoa River trying to cross that bar. We sing and we lament of him, but he was one of many of Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu who led the way and forged a path. I do not even know what the rest of that speech said; I am just so proud to be here with you today. This is the first step, the beginning of your road, and you have got the future in the right hands with your mokopuna and your te tira whakaingoa [nomination company]. Pai te mihi atu ki a koutou, koutou i tae \u0101-tinana mai. Kai runga i \u014D koutou pokohiwi. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia ora mai t\u0101tau katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[It is so nice to congratulate you collectively who have arrived here physically. The responsibility is on your shoulders. Well done, congratulations to you collectively and to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u00229e88f37934f34b1d96629980778e4e94\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229e88f37934f34b1d96629980778e4e94\u0022\u003EPEENI HENARE (Labour\u2014T\u0101maki Makaurau):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare. Tuatahi m\u0101ku e Te Kaiwhakariterite i a t\u0101tau i te r\u0101 nei, e te p\u0101p\u0101 e T\u016Btehounuku, n\u0101u, t\u014D t\u0101tau arawhata i hanga kia whakakotahi ai te wairua o t\u0113n\u0101, o t\u0113n\u0101 o t\u0101tau kua tau i te ata nei, k\u0101ti. Ng\u0101 mihi nui ki a koe. Huri t\u016B atu ng\u0101 whakaaro me ng\u0101 mihi ki ng\u0101 tini aitu\u0101 o te w\u0101 i wahaina mai e ng\u0101 kaik\u014Drero o t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare, i \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 aitu\u0101 ki roto i te takahanga o t\u0113nei pire, tae noa mai ki t\u0113nei w\u0101. Ki roto i ng\u0101 wiki kua pahure ake nei, i m\u014Dteatea ai Te Iwi M\u0101ori i ng\u0101 aitu\u0101 maha o Te Ao M\u0101ori ki runga i te atamira, ki roto o Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu, ar\u0101, ko Te Matatini. Ka p\u0113r\u0101 tonu t\u0113nei i te r\u0101 nei ka tangi hotuhotu ki ng\u0101 aitu\u0101 maha ki runga i t\u0113n\u0101 marae o t\u0101tau. Kotahi tonu te k\u014Drero ki a r\u0101tau kua ngaro atu ki Te P\u014D, haere mai, haere!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKa whakahokia mai ng\u0101 r\u0101rangi k\u014Drero ki a t\u0101tau e aku rangatira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tau katoa. E T\u0101kitimu waka, e ng\u0101 uri o ng\u0101 t\u016Bpuna kua riro atu ki Te P\u014D, nau piki mai, nau kake mai, nau haere mai ki roto i t\u014D koutou Whare. Ka kore t\u0113nei e k\u012B atu n\u014D m\u0101tau anahe, k\u0101hore \u0113ngari, nau haere mai te t\u0101huhu o t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare; Te Whare iringa k\u014Drero, Te Whare whakatau kaupapa. I t\u0113nei w\u0101 ka whakatau t\u0101tau i t\u014D t\u0101tau kaupapa, ar\u0101, te p\u0101nuitanga tuatahi o t\u0113nei pire e p\u0101 ana ki a koutou. N\u014D reira, haere mai r\u0101 koutou. E tautoko atu ana ahau i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero a t\u0113n\u0101, a t\u0113n\u0101 o t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare, \u0101, kua k\u014Drero ki te kaupapa nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003ETuatahi ki a koe e Te Minita Tat\u016Bnga i ng\u0101 Take Tiriti o Waitangi, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, e mihi atu ana au ki a koe. Kua takahia nei e koe i t\u0113nei ara wh\u0101nui, ahakoa \u014Dna piki, ahakoa \u014Dna heke, kei konei tonu koe e h\u0101pai ana i ng\u0101 mahi o Te Karauna hei whakap\u0101ha, hei tat\u016B ai i ng\u0101 nawe, i ng\u0101 ker\u0113me o t\u0113n\u0101 iwi, o t\u0113n\u0101 iwi, o t\u0113n\u0101 iwi. K\u0101ti, ka kapohia ake e ahau tetahi o ng\u0101 k\u014Drero o t\u014Dku tuahine nei a Meka Whaitiri. Hei t\u0101na, ka taea t\u0113nei pire te haere ng\u0101tahi ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare, te haere wawe ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare, te haere tika ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare. T\u0113n\u0101, ka toro atu te ringa o Te R\u014Dp\u016B Reipa ki a koe e Te Minita, in\u0101 t\u016B ai tetahi huihuinga nunui ki roto i Te Whare P\u0101remata, an\u0101, toro mai ki a m\u0101tau kia hui ng\u0101tahi, kia kite ai Te Iwi M\u0101ori i te t\u016B kotahi o t\u0113nei Whare n\u0101 runga i ng\u0101 kaupapa kua whakaritea nei e koe, otir\u0101, t\u0101tau i te r\u0101 nei. N\u0101, ko waku mahara ki te hui nui i t\u016B i nanahi r\u0101 m\u014D Te Maunga o Taranaki, k\u0101ti ka waiho n\u0101 atu t\u0113r\u0101 kaupapa ki reira.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKa whakahokia mai ki te pire kei mua i te aroaro o Te Whare i te r\u0101 nei. E aku rangatira, ki roto i te p\u0101nuitanga tuatahi, kua wahaina mai e Te Minita me ng\u0101 mema o t\u0113nei Whare, i \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata i whakapau kaha, i heke ai te werawera ki te tutuki i ng\u0101 kaupapa kua whakaritea nei ki roto i t\u0113nei pire. I a au e tiro atu ana ki a koutou e noho mai r\u0101 ki runga, ka kite atu ahau i a koe e te p\u0101p\u0101, e P\u012Beri, koutou ko \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 matua\u2014aroha mai ki te hunga kei taku tuar\u0101\u2014hoin\u014D T\u0101maki koutou m\u0101, e mihi atu ana ki a koutou. E m\u014Dhio ana koutou ki ng\u0101 k\u014Drero kei roto. Hoin\u014D t\u0101ku i t\u0113nei w\u0101 hei whakar\u0101popoto ake i \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 \u0101huatanga kei roto i te pire, me te k\u012B atu ki a koutou, e tautoko ana ahau i te k\u014Drero a t\u014Dku tuahine a Meka me te k\u012B atu, \u0101e, mai i te p\u0101nuitanga tuatahi tae noa atu ki te p\u0101nuitanga tuatoru, ar\u0101, te p\u0101nuitanga whakamutunga. Kei konei m\u0101tau katoa ki te \u0101ta wetewete, ki te whakapakari ake i t\u0113nei pire. T\u0113n\u0101 pea ka rerek\u0113 te pire ka k\u014Drero nei t\u0101tau i t\u0113nei w\u0101 ki te pire hei te tutukitanga a te p\u0101nuitanga tuatoru. \u0112ngari, waihon\u0101 atu m\u0101 m\u0101tau, m\u0101 Te R\u014Dp\u016B Whiriwhiri i ng\u0101 Take M\u0101ori, te pire nei e whakarite, e whakapakari, e panoni pea, e aua! \u0100 taihoa ake nei ka haere mai koutou ki te \u0101ta k\u014Drero ki a m\u0101tau o Te R\u014Dp\u016B Whiriwhiri i ng\u0101 take e p\u0101 ana ki t\u0113nei pire. K\u0101ti!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EE toru ng\u0101 wahanga o t\u0113nei pire. E aku rangatira kia m\u014Dhio mai koutou, anei hoki te pire\u2014e aua, 10, 12 pea e p\u0101 ana ki ng\u0101 take Tiriti kua uru mai ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare i a au e noho nei ki roto i Te Whare. Ka kite atu ahau i ng\u0101 wahanga e toru. Horekau he rerek\u0113tanga ki roto i ng\u0101 pire katoa, hoin\u014D, ko ng\u0101 k\u014Drero kei roto he mea rerek\u0113 nei. N\u014D reira, tuatahi ko te whakap\u0101ha a Te Karauna ki a koutou. Horekau he M\u0101ori ki runga i te mata o te whenua e whakah\u0113 ana i t\u0113r\u0101 mahi a Te Karauna, kia whakap\u0101ha atu m\u014D ng\u0101 t\u016Bkinotanga, m\u014D ng\u0101 h\u0113manawatanga kua p\u0101ngia ki runga i a t\u0101tau e Te Iwi M\u0101ori. N\u014D reira, e mihi atu ana ahau ki t\u0113r\u0101 whakaaro nui \u0113ngari, ki roto i te roanga o ng\u0101 tau kei mua i a t\u0101tau ka kite mehemea, he mana kei muri i te kupu. M\u0101m\u0101 noa iho te whakap\u0101ha atu ki Te Iwi \u0113ngari, ki te tutuki i taua whakap\u0101ha, kia rongo ai te kiri o Te M\u0101ori i te whakap\u0101ha, kia whakahokia atu te mana motuhake i wh\u0101ia nei e \u014D t\u0101tau m\u0101tua t\u016Bpuna, \u0101 taihoa ake nei t\u0101tau ka kite. Koin\u0101 te wahanga tuatahi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKi te w\u0101hanga tuarua, ko ng\u0101 whakaritenga ki ng\u0101 t\u016Bhononga kua whakaritea nei e te pire m\u0101 koutou hei h\u0101pai, m\u0101 Te Karauna hei h\u0101pai ki roto i ng\u0101 tau kei mua i a t\u0101tau; e tika ana te k\u014Drero a t\u014Dku tuahine nei, a Meka Whaitiri, e p\u0101 ana ki te wai. I kite atu ahau ki roto i te pire nei, ka whakahokia atu te mauri o ng\u0101 awa, me ng\u0101 repo, me ng\u0101 w\u0101hi tapu, me ng\u0101 k\u0101inga ki a koutou. \u0112ngari, ka mutu, ka tango ake an\u014D e Te Karauna i ng\u0101 w\u0101hi r\u0101 ki te whakarite i tetahi atu poari, aha atu raini ki te whakahaere, ki te tiaki i ng\u0101 puna wai me ng\u0101 w\u0101hi o te k\u0101inga. Rawa au e tino whakaae ana ki t\u0113r\u0101 t\u016B\u0101huatanga, hoin\u014D. Koinei hoki ko ng\u0101 whakaritenga i whawhai nei e koutou ki Te Karauna m\u014D te pire nei. T\u0101 te mea e tata pau haere ana te w\u0101 ki a au nei, ko te wahanga whakamutunga o te pire, an\u0101, ko te rahi o te p\u016Btea! E tautoko ana ahau i te k\u014Drero a Te Minita, e k\u012B nei: \u201CAhakoa te rahi o te p\u016Btea ka tukuna atu ki a koutou, ko taua rahi r\u0101 \u0113hara i te mea, e \u014Drite nei ki te p\u016Btea me te mana i tango ai Te Karauna ki roto i ng\u0101 tau maha kua pahure ake nei.\u201D Hoina an\u014D ko te rahi o te p\u016Btea, he rahi p\u016Btea ka \u0101hei koutou te tiro atu ki ng\u0101 tau kei mua i a koutou m\u014D ng\u0101 uri whakatupu, m\u014D ng\u0101 uri whakaheke \u0101 taihoa ake nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKi roto i te meneti whakamutunga m\u0101ku, ka hoki atu waku mahara ki ng\u0101 k\u014Drero kei roto i a au o Te Tai Tokerau, m\u014D te hekenga o Kahungunu ki roto i a koutou, te moe ng\u0101tahi ki t\u014D koutou tupuna a Rongomaiwahine, me ng\u0101\u2014e hoa, koin\u0101 te kino o t\u0113r\u0101 tangata! Ko te kaha whai i ng\u0101 wahine M\u0101ori\u2014k\u0101ti. Ko koutou t\u0113r\u0101 kua tae mai i te r\u0101 nei. He mea pai t\u0113n\u0101 te kite atu i t\u014D t\u0101tau whakapapa. Ko t\u014D t\u0101tau whakapapa ka kore e kitea ki roto i ng\u0101 pire o Te Whare P\u0101remata nei, \u0101 taihoa ake nei t\u0101tau ka w\u0101nanga, ka t\u016Bhono an\u014D t\u0101tau o Te Tai Tokerau ki a koutou e \u014Dku whanaunga, e \u014Dku rangatira kua tae mai i te r\u0101 nei. K\u0101ti, ko te manako, kia tau iho mai ng\u0101 manaakitanga o Te Kaihanga ki runga i a koutou, otir\u0101, ki runga i a t\u0101tau, kia haere t\u014Dtika t\u0113nei pire ki roto i Te Whare P\u0101remata\u2014k\u0101ti. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tau katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. The first thing for me is to acknowledge you the one who put our prayer together on this day, father figure T\u016Btehounuku, you indeed created our ladder to unify the spirit of that one and that one who arrived here this morning. A huge appreciation to you. Thoughts and tributes turn to the innumerable deaths of the moment borne here by contributors of our House, some occurred during the transgression of this bill right up to the present moment. Throughout the weeks just past, M\u0101ori iwi lamented the many deaths in M\u0101oridom within Ng\u0101ti Kahuhungunu upon the stage, in other words at Matatini. This one continues to do that, sobbing mournfully for the many deaths upon that marae of ours. There is only one thing to say to them who have gone to the void, welcome back depart!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI bring the lines of address back upon us esteemed ones, salutations and acknowledgments to you, and to us all. To you the waka of T\u0101kitimu and to the descendants of the ancestral forefathers who have gone to the void, welcome, come hither, welcome, clamber aboard, welcome into your House. This one will not say that this House is solely ours, no, but welcome to the ridgepole of our House; the House where contributions are suspended and policies settled. At this moment we are considering your policy, in other words, the first reading of this bill about you. So welcome indeed to you collectively. I endorse the comments by that one and that one of our House and will address this policy now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EFirst of all, to you the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, I truly commend you. You have traversed this extensive path and despite its ups and downs, you are still here supporting what the Crown has to do in terms of an apology, and how to settle the grievances and claims of that iwi and that one. Well then, I grab up one of my sister colleague Meka Whaitiri\u2019s comments. According to her, it is possible for this bill to go through this House jointly, quickly, and directly. And so the Labour Party extends its hand to you Minister that should a gathering of significance be held in Parliament House, why not reciprocate by extending a hand for us to meet jointly to demonstrate to M\u0101ori iwi that this House stand as one on proposals you, in other words, we have considered on this day. As far as my thoughts are concerned about that huge meeting held yesterday for Mount Taranaki, I will leave that matter there!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI will bring my thoughts back to the bill that is before us on this day. During the first reading, esteemed ones, the Minister and members of this House, brought to bear individuals who expended energy and shed perspiration to fulfil proposals that had been considered within this bill. As I look up at you collectively sitting up there, I see you father figure P\u012Beri, you and some parents\u2014my apologies to the ones behind my back\u2014but nevertheless to you ones T\u0101maki, I congratulate you collectively. You know what the comments are inside. My task here is to summarise some aspects that are within the bill, and to assure you collectively that I support the contribution by my sister colleague Meka, from the first reading right through to the third reading, in other words, to the final reading. We are here to analyse and to strengthen this bill. Perhaps, the bill we are talking about at this moment will be different to the one at the conclusion of the third reading. But leave it for us, for the ones of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee to arrange, strengthen, change, or whatever. Shortly you will come before us the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee to have frank discussions about matters concerning this bill. Enough!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EThere are three parts to this bill. Esteemed ones, kindly note, here indeed is the bill\u2014I am unsure about this, but I think there have been 10 or 12 Treaty matters that have entered this House in the time that I have sat in it. I have only seen three parts. There have not been any differences in all the bills, however, the commentaries inside are all quite different. And so the first part is the Crown\u2019s apology to you collectively. There is not a single M\u0101ori on the face of this earth who will oppose that action by the Crown, to apologise for its violations and stress that affected us the M\u0101ori people. And so I compliment that great thought, but the future will tell whether the words behind the apology are effectual. Making an apology to the iwi is easy, but achieving it so that the apology is felt keenly and owned personally, and the self-determination sought by our ancestral forefathers is returned, we will see in due time. That indeed is the first part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EAnd now to the second part, to those provisions and supplements considered by the bill for you collectively and the Crown to take up in years to come; what my sister colleague Meka Whaitiri said in terms of the water is right. I note in this bill that the vital essence of rivers, swamps, sacred places, and habitats are to be returned to you. But the Crown will eventually take over such places by arranging a board, or something similar, to administer and protect water sources and regional habitats. I will never ever agree to that kind of situation, however. These then are the provisions that you are fighting the Crown about for this bill. Because my time has nearly expired, I go directly to the final part of this bill, and behold, the size of the funding! I endorse the comment of the Minister, which states as follows: \u201CRegardless of the size of the funding released to you on that day, it is not as though it is similar to the funding and validity that the Crown took over the many, many years that have passed.\u201D However, the size of the funding is an amount that you collectively will be able to look forward to in years to come, for the current generation of young ones, and for those to come.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EIn the minutes that I have left, my thoughts go back to the comments within me of the North about Kahungunu\u2019s coming down to be among you, to sleep with your ancestress Rongomaiwahine, and the\u2014heck, mate, that was a wicked side of that person! He really went after M\u0101ori women\u2014but enough of that. You are the ones who have arrived here on this day. Seeing our genealogy is a wonderful thing. Our genealogies are never seen in Parliament bills, but very shortly we will debate and link us of the North to you collectively once again, my relatives and esteemed ones who have arrived here today. Well then, it is the hope that the kindness of the Creator descends upon you collectively but at the same time upon us, and that this bill go smoothly through the House\u2014enough. Salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively and to all of us.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022 data-id=\u00228dd13110dca54cc18e3774f5d8534496\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228dd13110dca54cc18e3774f5d8534496\u0022\u003ENUK KORAKO (National):\u003C/span\u003E E Te Mana Whakaw\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 an\u014D koe. E mihi atu ki Te Mana Whenua o Te Waha o Te Ika, a Te \u0100tiawa; t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, \u0101, huri noa i Te Whare nei, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Haere mai e ka waka katoa e tau mai nei ki Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara. N\u014D reira, ki a koe e te rohe o Te Wairoa, e mihi atu ki a koe e te whanauka, e Te Waka o T\u0101kitimu, a Ngati Kahungunu, ki a koe Rongomaiwahine; e mihi atu ki a koutou. Ko Te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take M\u0101ori o Te Whare P\u0101remata e mihi nei, e tangi nei, ki a koutou ng\u0101 taoka whakahirahira, koutou e t\u016Bmanakohia ake nei huri noa i Te Whare M\u012Bere, nei e mihi ki ng\u0101 mema katoa, n\u014D reira, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E[My appreciation once again to you, Mr Assistant Speaker. I acknowledge the territorial rights to the Mouth of the Fish, Wellington Harbour, of Te \u0100tiawa; greetings to you collectively and to us all throughout this House. Welcome to the canoes that have arrived here at the Great Bay of Tara, Wellington Harbour. Therefore, to you the Wairoa region, I acknowledge you the relative Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu of the T\u0101kitimu canoe and you too Rongomaiwahine; greetings to you both. This is the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee of Parliament acknowledging and lamenting you collectively, and extolling the goods that you collectively throughout the Beehive desire for, so compliments to all members and, consequently, to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EIt is indeed a privilege to be here with the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Wairoa at the beginning of the end of their journey toward a full and final settlement of the wrongs committed against them by the Crown. Before I start, though, I do want to acknowledge our Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Hon Christopher Finlayson, and also his beginning today by acknowledging those who have actually passed away and who did not see the beginning, really, here today of the first reading. I want also to acknowledge my aunt who came from Nuhaka, and that was Auntie Hinemanuhiri N\u0113pia Sinclair, who, obviously, married my uncle, Ng\u0101i Tahu Uncle Douglas Sinclair. I want to acknowledge her today because she was very much a strength within our wh\u0101nau as well, even though she lived most of her time, actually, in the North.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EThe iwi and hap\u016B of Te Wairoa are defined by their geographic location within the rohe of Te Wairoa, covering the northern Hawke\u2019s Bay and southern Gisborne. In the settlement process, they are represented by Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa, and if we look at the history of M\u0101ori in the Wairoa, they actually never signed the Treaty of Waitangi. They did not choose not to sign; the Crown simply never took the Treaty to Wairoa, so they did not have the opportunity to do that. When the Crown brought war to the North Island, the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa tried to remain peaceful. They became involved only when the Crown attacked the Omaruhakeke k\u0101inga on Christmas Day in 1865. Some of those who fought against the Crown were captured and either summarily executed or held without trial on the Chatham Islands. Others chose to fight with the Crown, and as a result the wars led to deep divisions between the hap\u016B who fought on the opposing sides. Members of the iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Wairoa also fought on both sides of the war after the escape of Te Kooti from the Chatham Islands, and there was more loss of life as a result.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EThe Crown acquired hundreds of thousands of acres of land from M\u0101ori in Te Rohe o Te Wairoa through what could only be described as fraudulent means. When the collective owners of the land declined to sell it to the Crown, the Crown instead purchased the land from individual owners, who did not have the right to sell. The Crown paid various parties for so-called purchases of land, including iwi who did not have interests in the land and individual owners who did not have agreement from the collective owners. The Native Land Court also had a part to play in this confiscation of land, awarding title in collectively held land to individual owners, who could then dispose of it how they wished and for their own benefit. In another instance, collective owners of the block of land agreed on a sale price, and the Crown unilaterally reduced the price. The iwi and hap\u016B of Te Wairoa have also had more than 500 acres confiscated under the Public Works Act. In one case, M\u0101ori land was confiscated while the Crown leased nearby land from its P\u0101keh\u0101 owners.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EThe Crown cannot, and never will, fully compensate the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Wairoa for the pain of the deaths caused by Crown wars, for the loss of land over many years, or for the devastating effects that those losses have had on the well-being of M\u0101ori in Te Wairoa. The essence of this, as well\u2014and particularly to show good faith\u2014is that there is here an act of generosity by the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Wairoa in accepting the redress offered in this deed of settlement as a full and final settlement of their claims. The deed of settlement includes significant cultural redress. This cultural redress is not about providing land for economic development but recognising the traditional, the historical, the cultural, and the spiritual associations of the iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa with these certain places and sites. The five sites of significance to the iwi and hap\u016B will be vested in their post-settlement governance entity, which will then gift them back to the Crown for the continued enjoyment of the people of New Zealand. That is the essence of true partnership, and that is the essence of these people and the way that they actually believe in partnership\u2014to move their settlement to its final destination at the third reading and to acknowledge the wonderful gifts that they have given back to this country and its people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EAs the chair of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, it is indeed our honour to actually receive this bill, and we will ensure that the passage of this bill, from the first reading and the second reading through to the third reading, will be able to be done hopefully before the rising of the House in August. On that note, we are, as my colleague Meka Whaitiri actually said, dedicated to trying to conclude this settlement as soon as possible. N\u014D reira, e ng\u0101 mana, e ng\u0101 reo, e rau rakatira m\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022 data-id=\u0022cf2d58adebcd4d25b881201516709769\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cf2d58adebcd4d25b881201516709769\u0022\u003EDENISE ROCHE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. E ng\u0101 mana, e ng\u0101 reo, e ng\u0101 rangatira m\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. I want to join with others in the House in welcoming the people and the leaders of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa to the House today. We celebrate with them in this first reading of their Treaty settlement bill. Before I start, I want to similarly join with others in acknowledging the process that has occurred to get this bill to the House. I want to acknowledge those who have worked so hard on this bill. They started 30 years ago, the negotiations for this settlement, so I want to acknowledge all those who have exercised that amazing persistence over those decades and over those generations to get this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge those who have passed away along the way. I want to recognise the fact that the settlement covers problems and issues and injustices that have occurred since, basically, the 1840s. The first issue where the Crown acted in a way that they really should not have towards the people was around not offering Te Tiriti o Waitangi to the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa at all. That was the first one, but then, of course, there have been others since. I acknowledge the apology that the Crown has made, which is set out in the settlement deed and is also set out in the legislation. I also acknowledge the truth and reconciliation process that has occurred as a result of the settlement process. All those things are about healing\u2014healing the hurts that have occurred across generations. But the settlement itself\u2014and I think we should acknowledge this\u2014is not really about reparation. It is actually a deed of settlement and it is an agreed historical account, but it is not full compensation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EI want to just touch on some of the breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi that are listed in this settlement bill. Those breaches around the alienation of land go right back through to the 1860s with the Crown purchases in 1864 to 1868 when they used some very dodgy practices around surveying and not investigating customary rights to actually acquire 83,000 acres of land. Then it continued in 1867 when the Crown basically put M\u0101ori under extreme duress to acquire another 42,000 acres. Then, again, in 1875 the Crown basically exploited confusion about the legal status of blocks around Lake Waikaremoana to acquire another 178,000 acres of land. Then, of course, there are the issues around the Native Land Court and the breaking up of customary and collectively owned land into individual ownership in 1867 and 1868, which actually allowed the Crown to onsell individual blocks of land. Then there is the other matter, which was from the 1870s: more than 500 acres of land were acquired compulsorily from iwi and hap\u016B under the Public Works Act\u2014and it has been noted, and it is noted in the settlement deed\u2014while P\u0101keh\u0101 neighbours had their land leased, so it was not alienated from them continually.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EWhat happens when the alienation of land occurs is that the economic base is removed from the people, and this is exactly what happened to the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa\u2014not only the economic base, of course. There are also the spiritual elements and the kaitiaki roles, which also become alienated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EThe other parts of the settlement refer to the introduction of war, the summary execution of prisoners, and the detention without trial of some of their people on the Chatham Islands. As I say, that really just cannot be compensated for. It is harrowing reading\u2014it really is harrowing reading. So if it is harrowing reading for me, then it must be even worse for those whose t\u016Bpuna lived through this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EI will just, now, address what the settlement actually is. Others have said it before\u2014it is actually the fifth-largest settlement. It is about $100 million in various ways. We have to acknowledge that that is the best settlement that the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa could actually get from the negotiations, but we also have to recognise that it is a deal. The Greens will say this at every reading, but we do not actually recognise that it is a full and final settlement, even though that is what is written in the legislation, because it is not full by any stretch of the imagination and we do not believe that it is final, because there is no way of telling, at this stage, what the impact of those historical breaches will be on future generations. But we recognise that to get this bill to the House and to go through the processes that the iwi and hap\u016B have gone through is a huge achievement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EWe also want to acknowledge the generosity of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, not only in accepting a settlement that does not actually compensate for their losses but also for accepting that five different parcels of land in the conservation area will be returned, including the M\u0101hia Peninsula and the M\u014Drere Springs Scenic Reserves, but that the iwi and hap\u016B will then gift them back to the Crown. That is incredibly generous. We also, in this settlement, see that there is the right of first refusal on 147 properties. Again, we recognise the patience and persistence of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, in that they may have to wait some time to be able to acquire those properties. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EWe recognise that for the 25,500 people, under the 2013 census, who are part of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, this is the recognition of a better social and economic future. They have, I think we need to recognise, not only lost their land; they have also lost their language and lost their place. It is in the deed of settlement, I think, that by 2001 more than 90 percent of the iwi and hap\u016B were living outside of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. We see this as the start of the restoration of the mana of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa in their role as kaitiaki of their lands and rivers and wetlands in their areas. So it is good to see that that statutory recognition is outlined in the settlement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222df33ee5-23d6-441c-a9ba-6495aa69f9fd\u0022\u003EI want to finish just by touching on the apology. I think it is really important that these are included in the settlement deeds. I wanted to just look at the clause that says that \u201CThe Crown admits that the cumulative effect of its Treaty breaches has been very significant damage to the cultural, spiritual, and physical well-being of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, as well as to their economic development. (f) The Crown seeks to restore its tarnished honour and to atone for its past failures to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles\u201D. I do not think the Crown can do that, but this is the start of a true Treaty relationship, and we recognise this. We celebrate with the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, and we commend this bill to the House and will see it through to its second and third readings. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022 data-id=\u0022b1b3985c3b904e0ab6efd7c939a87795\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b1b3985c3b904e0ab6efd7c939a87795\u0022\u003EPITA PARAONE (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E \u0100, t\u0113n\u0101 hoki koe, t\u0113n\u0101 hoki t\u0101tou e Te Whare! Ng\u0101 kupu tuatahi m\u0101ku, kei te tautoko i ng\u0101 mihi i mihingia ki a koe te tuakana, e Nuk. N\u0101u nei i whakaritengia i a t\u0101tou noho tahi i te r\u0101 nei. Tua atu i t\u0113n\u0101, kei te tautoko i ng\u0101 mihi i mihingia e ng\u0101 kaik\u014Drero i t\u016B ake i mua i a au, ki te whakatau i \u0101 koutou, ng\u0101 whanaunga n\u0101 te mea, i rongo au i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero o t\u014Dku tuakana a Peeni i whakahuangia te hononga i waenga i a Kahungunu ki a koutou, n\u014D reira ahakoa he t\u016B w\u0101hi iti t\u0113nei \u0113ngari kia m\u014Dhio mai koutou, ka nui te p\u016Bhaehae i roto i a au, i aha ai? N\u0101 te mea, ahakoa k\u012Bhai koutou i hainatia te Tiriti \u0113ngari i a m\u0101tou o roto o Ng\u0101puhi, ko m\u0101tou tetahi o ng\u0101 iwi tuatahi i hainatia Te Tiriti, horekau i whakatau o m\u0101tou ker\u0113me \u0113ngari, \u0113hara n\u0101 koutou te h\u0113, n\u0101 m\u0101tou hoki! Kia ahatia? \u0112ngari, e t\u016B atu t\u0113nei m\u014D Te R\u014Dp\u016B Aotearoa Tuatahi ki te tautoko i t\u0113nei pire, n\u0101 reira, i mua i t\u014Dku huringa ki roto i t\u014D t\u0101tou reo tuarua, ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou i tau mai nei ki waenganui i a t\u0101tou i te r\u0101 nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003E[And so greetings as well to you and to us also, the House. My first words are to endorse the tributes accorded by your elder colleague, Nuk. It was you indeed who considered a prayer in regards to our coming together today. Further to that, I endorse the tributes accorded by the speakers who got up before me to pay homage to you, collectively, the relations. I heard the comments by my elder sibling Peeni, who related the connection that existed between you and Kahungunu. Therefore, despite this being a short call, you have to understand there is much envy in me, and why? Because even though you never ever signed the Treaty but we from within Ng\u0101puhi, were one of the first tribes to sign the Treaty and have not settled. But that is not your fault. It really is ours as well. But so what? But I stand here for New Zealand First to support this bill, therefore, and before I turn to our second language, I have much admiration for you who landed here amongst us on this day.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EIt is really a pleasure to stand and participate in these debates, particularly where settlements have been negotiated, and the process of legislating the actual settlement is brought before us in circumstances like today. This bill is no different from those bills that have already come before this House and enacted the settlements for a number of iwi. It recognises the loss and prejudices that the iwi have suffered as a consequence of the shortcomings of the Crown.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EAlthough we acknowledge that this settlement cannot and can never fully compensate the iwi for their loss, at least the attempt has been made. It has been negotiated between Crown representatives and iwi representatives, and so we have come to this stage. But I just want to say to the people who represented the iwi\u2014the negotiators\u2014that history will show that you have been responsible for reaching this settlement. If experience is anything to go by, after the settlement you will always find some within your own iwi, your own hap\u016B, your own wh\u0101nau, who will have a disagreement in terms of the settlement. So history will show that you have been responsible for a lot of what has been negotiated. Although you will know that there will be a lot of other things that you were not able to negotiate, to those who will always criticise you, that is irrelevant. So I just want to put that on record, to remind you that, in spite of the good work that you have done, there will always be some people who will have a different view.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EThis bill, as has already been indicated by the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, has taken a long process, which started back in the 1980s. I think that it is a credit to all involved in bringing this bill to this stage\u2014their tenacity and their commitment to seeing a settlement and, hopefully, an endurable settlement that will benefit not only the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, but their wider community and, indeed, New Zealand. For those of our wider community who often criticise this process and the settlements that have been made, I hope that they will take the time to read the history and the background leading up to this settlement. It does not make very good reading in terms of the relationship between the Crown and iwi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EOne thing that caught my eye was when fighting broke out between the Crown and M\u0101ori in other regions in the 1860s, the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa worked hard to maintain peace among themselves in the rohe. But here I want to quote exactly: \u201CWar began there only when the Crown attacked the Oamaruhakeke k\u0101inga on Christmas Day 1865.\u201D For me, from the North, and a member of the Ng\u0101ti Hine iwi, Christmas Day is a very significant day in the history of the Ruapekapeka P\u0101. It was on that day that the Crown chose to enter the p\u0101 while my t\u016Bpuna were in prayer. It seems to me that that appeared to be a common practice of the Crown\u2014having brought the good word to Aotearoa, then using the good word against M\u0101ori. That, to me, is a small indication of just how the Crown treated M\u0101ori at the time. Some would say that they still treat M\u0101ori like that today, but I will not go so far as to say that. But, suffice it to say, going through the bill, the summary of the historical account makes for pretty poor reading in terms of how the Crown treated the iwi and the hap\u016B of Te Wairoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EI also want to say that one of the reasons behind this settlement, and I must say it is the first one that I have actually seen where it has been articulated in the bill\u2014is in regard to Te Reo and education. The Crown acknowledges the significant harm that children of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa suffered by being punished for speaking their own language in Crown-established schools. I want to say that the Government has introduced a new group, called Te M\u0101t\u0101wai, that is charged with revitalising the use of Te Reo M\u0101ori. Kahungunu has a representative on that group, one by the name of Jeremy MacLeod, I think, who will be a good representative for you and will ensure that the iwi and the hap\u016B participate in the process that Te M\u0101t\u0101wai proposes in terms of revitalising the language.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003ETime is moving on. I just want to reiterate that New Zealand First certainly supports the bill going to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. We hope that the people who may have a concern about what has been negotiated will take the opportunity of coming before the committee and expressing their views. Recent experiences show that after people have signed the agreement between their iwi and the Crown, they are now wanting to relitigate some of the things that they agreed to in the original signing of the agreement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EI just want to acknowledge again the people of Te Wairoa, whose claim this bill is about, and to commend them for the good work they have done in bringing it to this stage. N\u0101 reira t\u0113n\u0101 koe, t\u0113n\u0101 hoki t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003E [Therefore, I thank you and us as well!] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022 data-id=\u00225002738acd454843bc1929c44afb241c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225002738acd454843bc1929c44afb241c\u0022\u003EDr SHANE RETI (National\u2014Whangarei):\u003C/span\u003E \u0100, t\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Whare i t\u0113nei r\u0101. E rau rangatira m\u0101, ko t\u0113nei taku mihi ki a koutou katoa, kia ora mai t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E[And so, my appreciation to you the House on this day. Esteemed ones and others, this is my acknowledgment and accolade to you and us all collectively.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EIt is a pleasure to speak to this bill, the Iwi and Hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill, in its first reading. I would like to acknowledge and reiterate some of the pathway that brings us here today. This body of work started many years ago, but it has actually made quite good progress in this past decade. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EIf we look back to February 2011, the Crown first recognised the mandate for this bill, and then a year later the terms of negotiation were completed. In June 2014 there was agreement in principle, and in May 2016 the deed of settlement was initiated by the Crown. The post-settlement governance entity and the deed of settlement were then ratified in August 2016, and in November 2016 the deed of settlement was signed. I would like to also acknowledge the Minister and all the officials who made such good progress once the legal formalities were commenced. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThe settlement has the standard three parts to it: the historical account, the cultural redress, and the financial and commercial redress. I would like to briefly talk to each of those headings. Under the historical account there are four main components in and amongst the breadth of the agreed historical account. Specifically, there is the Crown\u2019s apology for the war it fought against those members of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa it deemed to be rebels; secondly, its unjust attack on the Omaruhakeke k\u0101inga in 1865; thirdly, the summary execution of prisoners in 1866; and, fourthly, the detention without trial of some members of the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairua on the Chatham Islands from 1866 to 1868. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EWithin that redress there is also the cultural redress, and it has three components to it\u2014three main themes, if you like. There is the vesting, the statutory acknowledgments, and the deeds of recognition. The vesting is around a number of sites that are vested in the iwi and then gifted back to the Crown for the benefit of the people of New Zealand, and these sites include the M\u0101hia peninsula, Morere Springs, Te Reinga Scenic Reserve, and a number of others. So this is the vesting. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThere are also the statutory acknowledgments. Statutory acknowledgments recognise the association between the iwi and hap\u016B of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and a particular site or area. They enhance the ability of the iwi and the hap\u016B to participate in specific resource management processes, and there are a number of conservation areas and reserves that are included in the statutory acknowledgment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThe third tool under \u201CCultural redress\u201D is the deeds of recognition. The deeds of recognition oblige the Crown to consult with T\u0101tau T\u0101tau o Te Wairua Trust on specific matters and to have regard to its views regarding the special association of the iwi and hap\u016B with certain areas, and, again, these are well specified in the deed of settlement. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThe financial and commercial redress, as has been commentated, is the fifth-largest settlement\u2014$100 million. On settlement date, T\u0101tau T\u0101tau o Te Wairua will receive a cash sum of $88,964,250 and the right to purchase 24 properties from the Treaty settlements land bank. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EIt is a pleasure to commence the parliamentary proceedings on this bill. I very much look forward to it coming to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, where we can scrutinise it further and see how much more we can do for this iwi. Therefore, I commend this bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022 data-id=\u0022eb1f1c3735634abbbdef675a5e4e1fb6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022eb1f1c3735634abbbdef675a5e4e1fb6\u0022\u003EJOANNE HAYES (National):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe Mr Assistant Speaker. E ng\u0101 wh\u0101nau wh\u0101nui o Te Iwi me ng\u0101 hap\u016B o te rohe o Wairoa, nau mai, haere mai!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E[Greetings, Mr Assistant Speaker. To the extended families of the tribe and subtribes of the Wairoa region, welcome, come hither!]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EI stand privileged to be able to take a call on the first reading of your bill, and I am really pleased to see that this has come to the House so quickly. I attended the signing of your settlement at T\u0101kitimu Marae last year with the Minister, and I was just saying to my colleague Nuk Korako: \u201CBoy, it\u2019s come around real quickly.\u201D I am so pleased that it has come around really quickly, because, being the fifth-largest settlement that this Government is making, it is really important to start the procedures and move them along very quickly for you. Also, 62 hap\u016B is a big number of hap\u016B that belong to you, so speed is what we are here to do to make sure that we do the process that is befitting of your claim, ng\u0101 wh\u0101nau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EI just want to thank you all for coming here today. I look forward to the bill going to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. Unfortunately, I no longer sit on that select committee, but I know that it will do a very good job under the leadership and chairmanship of my colleague Nuk Korako. So, without any further k\u014Drero, I think let us get on with it, let us get this bill into the select committee, let us start hearing what your wh\u0101nau has to say about your bill, and let us start speeding it towards the third reading and, finally, it going into law. So, kia ora and congratulations. I commend the bill to the House. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022 data-id=\u00220a78f0aba2b84917be0b041ce5ef03b6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220a78f0aba2b84917be0b041ce5ef03b6\u0022\u003EKELVIN DAVIS (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tokerau): \u003C/span\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koe e Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare, tuatahi m\u0101ku e Nuk, mihi kau atu ki a koe, n\u0101u nei whakap\u016Baretia t\u014D t\u0101tou huihuinga i t\u0113nei ata m\u0101 ng\u0101 kupu karakia, e mihi au ki a koe! N\u0101u i whakat\u016B te arawhata ki t\u014D t\u0101tou Matua i Te Rangi, hei honohono i Te Rangi ki Te Whenua, Te Whenua ki Te Rangi. E ng\u0101 whanaunga kua tat\u016B mai ki konei ki raro i Te Tuanui o T\u014D T\u0101tou Whare, nau mai, haere mai, ki roto i t\u0113nei Te Whare o Te Motu. Nau mai, piki mai, haere mai. P\u012Bkaungia mai ng\u0101 tini mate kei runga i \u014D koutou pokowhiwhi, kia \u016Btaina mai ki runga, kia t\u016Bhonohono mai r\u0101tou ki ng\u0101 mate o konei; n\u0101 reira, hurirauna, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E[Thank you kindly, Mr Assistant Speaker. The first thing for me, Nuk, is to acknowledge you, who opened our assembly this morning with words of blessings; I compliment you. You are the one that set up the ladder to Our Father in heaven, to link up heaven to the earth, and the earth to heaven. To you the relatives who have arrived here below the roof of our House, welcome, come hither into this House of the nation. Come forth, climb aboard, come hither, welcome. Bring forth the many deaths upon your shoulders to be placed above so that they link up with the dead here; therefore, salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively throughout and to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EI am privileged to rise and speak on this first reading of the bill. Last night I spent a number of hours reading through the deed of settlement, and, let me say, I started to highlight the pieces of the deed of settlement that started to annoy me, in the historical account. I found that it was just, basically, a waste of time highlighting the parts that annoyed me and angered me, because it was just about the whole page, and it would have been an easier exercise to highlight the parts that did not annoy me or offend me. The historical account\u2014there are 29 pages of it, and it does not do justice to all the decades of hurt and theft, the alienation, what happened to the people, te iwi me ng\u0101 hap\u016B o Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. In fact, if there was a university course on how to alienate, disenfranchise, steal, and commit cultural genocide, basically this historical account is the blueprint for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EI would like to go through a number of the historical issues that occurred, but, first of all, I will just fall back on the words of one of my Ng\u0101puhi t\u016Bpuna, Te Atua Wera, when he said to his friend K\u0101witi: \u201CKua hurihia e te p\u0101keh\u0101tanga Te Tiriti hei p\u016Bng\u0101werewere hei kai i a t\u0101tou Te Iwi M\u0101ori. Ko \u014Dna wh\u0113kau, \u014Dna toto, ka ngotea, ka kainga. Ka whakar\u0113rea ki muri ko te p\u0101paka. He rite t\u0101tou ki te p\u0101paka o te t\u0101tarakihi. Ko taua p\u0101kaka, ko t\u0101tou Te Iwi M\u0101ori.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E[\u201CThe translated English version has turned the Treaty into a spider to devour us the M\u0101ori people. Its internal organs and blood are sucked up and consumed. What is left behind is the scab. We are like the scab of the cicada. That scab is us, the M\u0101ori people.\u201D]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EBasically, what that translates to mean is: Te Atua Wera said to his friend K\u0101witi that the P\u0101keh\u0101 has turned his Treaty into a spider to devour us, the M\u0101ori people. Its innards and its blood and its guts have been sucked out and consumed, and all that is left is the shell, like the shell of a cicada. That cicada is us, the M\u0101ori people. That, to me, is the perfect description from our t\u016Bpuna to describe what has happened to our people throughout the country. As I say, the historical account for te iwi me ng\u0101 hap\u016B o Te Rohe o Wairoa gives embodiment to those words, the prophecy of Te Atua Wera.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EAs the Minister and Dr Shane Reti said, the people of that area did not actually have an opportunity to sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It never ever went into their area, which means the people of those tribes were signed up to a covenant that they actually never signed up to, and they have been made to account to a covenant that they never actually saw at all, never actually bought into. That in itself is unfair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EAs we know, Te Tiriti o Waitangi guarantees M\u0101ori rangatiratanga their resources, and yet one of the things that the people of the area did, in, I think it was, about the 1860s, was they decided to lease out some of their land. Yet they were prohibited from doing that by a law that says they cannot lease out their land. So it just makes a mockery of rangatiratanga, where M\u0101ori cannot even make use of the resources that they have, because of a covenant that they were signed up to, even though they did not sign up to that covenant.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EIn the 1860s all this stuff started. The first contact with P\u0101keh\u0101 was in the 1830s, with people who were trading flax and guns. Whalers turned up by the 1850s; there were hundreds of M\u0101ori in the area who were part of the whole whaling industry. Between 1864 and 1868 some 83,000 acres of land was acquired by the Crown. We say \u201Cacquired\u201D\u2014we cannot really say \u201Cbought\u201D; we cannot really say\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0ae843391484c6ba0da07993e94b2ae\u0022\u003EMeka Whaitiri\u003C/span\u003E: Gifted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220ba2bb9001b740a9949583dda017f1c6\u0022\u003EKELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014\u201Cgifted\u201D or \u201Ctraded\u201D. It was acquired by dubious means. The M\u0101hia purchase on 20 October 1864\u2014the Crown acquired 14,600 acres. The very next day the protests began about the acquisition of that land. Often, one of the tactics used by the Crown on multiple-owned land was to go and get one or two or three people and tell them that that land is theirs. Basically, systematically alienate land, acre by acre by acre\u2014sometimes tens if not hundreds of thousands of acres at a time\u2014simply by buying off an individual, when the land was actually multiple-owned.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThere was the N\u016Bhaka purchase. This is really interesting; it talks about the 39th parallel\u2014that sort of brings up visions of the line between the USA and Canada or between North and South Korea, but instead we had our own 39th parallel\u2014where south of the parallel was the Hawke\u2019s Bay province, and north of the parallel was the Auckland province. There was land that straddled both sides of it. Look, to be honest, I have read and reread the particular part of the historical accounts as to how the land was alienated, and I am still confused. There was something like 110,000 acres of land, and putting everything aside\u2014the convoluted way that the land was alienated from the people\u2014I can almost guarantee right now, for the people sitting up in the gallery now, that just about none of that land will actually be in their possession now. That is the end outcome. Regardless of how it happened and how dubiously it happened, the end outcome is that the people sitting up in the gallery and the people back at the hau k\u0101inga\u2014basically, that land is no longer in their possession, and that is what is really wrong about this whole bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThere were gross errors in land estimates. So someone would go along and go \u201COh yeah, that looks like 14,000 acres.\u201D, and in reality it was more\u2014grossly overestimated or underestimated, again with the sole purpose of alienating those people from their land. The surveys lacked consideration of iwi-identified landmarks. So the iwi would say: \u201CWell, OK, we\u2019re going to sell this bit of land. You can go to that river or that maunga or that beach.\u201D Instead the iwi landmarks were basically ignored, in many instances.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThe Sim Commission in 1927 just seems like a total joke. It seems like a tool of the Crown to confirm really that what it did wrong was actually right. I do not know who the native affairs Minister was at that time, but he seems pretty hopeless. He did not make decisions, or if he did make decisions, they were not made in the best interests of the people. Reserves that were meant to be set aside were not set aside. Of course the old Native Land Court, where you divvy the land up, award it to 10 people, and say \u201CSorry\u201D to all the other thousand people who have an interest in that land, \u201Cwe\u2019ve given it to these 10.\u201D\u2014that happened all over the place. I could go on\u2014I have lost count; I did not add up how many tens of thousands of acres were alienated. The net result is that the people up in the gallery\u2014it is time for them to receive what is duly theirs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThe other point I just quickly want to make is about the summary execution of prisoners, of M\u0101ori. When we talk about summary execution, normally we think of the Germans lining people up against walls and mowing them down, or the Japanese beheading Allied soldiers, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and we are disgusted by that. But this happened here in New Zealand, and this we cannot ever forget. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EBill read a first time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EBill referred to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022 data-id=\u00220474754cc7d44b3790f4e0cc6f13d3ff\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220474754cc7d44b3790f4e0cc6f13d3ff\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Permission has been granted for a waiata, if you wish\u2014[Interruption] No? Then I will call on Government order of the day No. 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022228777471ff04ec0aeb27e87239b81b5\u0022\u003ETe Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022337ae33d98594ee4b880defd0adacd43\u0022\u003EThird Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022 data-id=\u0022192fd0d9896e4973af990637dd481be2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022192fd0d9896e4973af990637dd481be2\u0022\u003EHon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill be now read a third time. Today is a very historic day for Whanganui iwi, for all iwi who look to the river, for the people and the communities of the great region of Whanganui, and, indeed, for our country. It is appropriate that I start off by welcoming the people of Whanganui who are here to mark the passage of this significant piece of legislation into law. I know that some had a particularly early start, and I am really pleased that they are here to share the day with members of Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EIn a third reading it is appropriate to acknowledge those who have played such an important role in reaching this stage. Can I start, as I should, by acknowledging all t\u016Bpuna who led the way with the first petitions to Parliament as far back as 1873, who have persistently\u2014in every court of this land, including the Privy Council\u2014pursued justice over the years. I have already mentioned this in my first reading speech, but I want to acknowledge the leaders and the trust board members, many of whom have passed away. I particularly remember, as indeed we all do, the late and great Sir Archie Taiaroa, who had such a wonderful vision for Te Awa Tupua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge the past negotiation team and river claim presentation leaders who have passed away but have made a huge contribution to this journey. Can I particularly acknowledge the members of the trust board and the negotiating team, some of whom are in the gallery today: Te Tiwha Puketapu, John Maihi, Te Turi Ranginui, Piki Taiaroa, Raumatiki Henry T\u016Broa, Frana Chase, Beryl Millar, Daryn Te Uamairangi, Nancy Tuaine, and Gerrard Albert. In particular, Gerrard, thank you so very much for bringing this settlement home for your people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EThe Whanganui negotiators have been unrelenting in pursuit of this settlement. They brought the wairua of Te Awa Tupua to the negotiating table. They reminded the Crown of its obligations and held it accountable for its actions, and the result is a truly unique settlement. The framework for the river would not have been possible without the support of all iwi with interests in the Whanganui River catchment, and I want to acknowledge their leadership, both collectively and individually. I am delighted to see Sir Tumu te Heuheu in the gallery. I acknowledge his longstanding support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EI also acknowledge the leadership and support of my old friend Tiwha Bell of Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto. I am so pleased that Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto has recently concluded a memorandum of understanding with Whanganui River, which acknowledges each other\u2019s mana and confirms their shared commitment to working together in the implementation of the framework. I know the Hon Nanaia Mahuta will join with me\u2014we are so pleased that this great iwi, which has shown such generosity of spirit to their neighbours over many years, is now engaged in negotiations. I look forward to that day when a deed of settlement can be signed between Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto and the Crown.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EI want to reassure those iwi with interests in the river that nothing in these arrangements is going to usurp their mana or the exercise of their customary rights and responsibilities. Te Awa Tupua expressly recognises and upholds the inalienable connection of all iwi and hap\u016B with Te Awa Tupua, and it provides for their active participation in the new arrangements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003ECan I acknowledge both the former Prime Minister and the current Prime Minister. These were, at times, tense negotiations, but they were very supportive throughout. I have said many times that the role I undertake as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations would simply be impossible without their support. I acknowledge you, Mr Deputy Speaker\u2014without bringing you into the debate\u2014because we know that you have been the member for Whanganui since 2005, and during your time in the House you have really been a great support for Whanganui and for me as we have worked toward this settlement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EI acknowledge Dame Tariana Turia, mainly because it would be very dangerous not to acknowledge her, but, more importantly, because she has made a wonderful contribution to this settlement as well, and she is a very good friend of mine.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge the role of local government in supporting this settlement. I have said it before and I will say it again, how very lucky Whanganui was at this critical time to have a mayor like Annette Main. She has played a major role in this settlement, and she is excited by it as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EFinally, I want to pay my respects to and express my admiration for Dr John Wood, my chief Crown negotiator, He is the one who is the brains behind this settlement on behalf of the Crown. He really is a great New Zealander, and I want to thank him for his ongoing contribution today. And I want to thank all my officials at the Office of Treaty Settlements and the various Government agencies who have contributed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EAt the heart of this settlement is the whakatauk\u012B: \u201CRere kau mai Te Awa Nui nei, mai i Te K\u0101hui Maunga ki Tangaroa. Ko au Te Awa; ko Te Awa ko au.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003E[\u201CThis great river flows from the mountains of the national park to the sea. I am the river; the river is me.\u201D]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EThat whakatauk\u012B encapsulates the very essence of the river and its people. By 1840 the iwi and the hap\u016B of Whanganui possessed and exercised rights and responsibilities in relation to the river in accordance with their tikanga. A substantial population was settled along the river and its major tributaries, yet within 100 years the Crown\u2019s actions and inactions disenfranchised iwi from their relationship with the river. The Crown, for example, allowed steamers to ply the river, resulting in the destruction of fishing p\u0101, and river gravel was extracted and sold. The Crown did not properly engage or involve iwi in the management of the river, but the iwi stood their ground and fought and fought and fought so that their calls for justice were finally answered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EThe whakatauk\u012B I recited a few minutes ago, I said it is at the heart of this settlement, but Te Awa Tupua forms its foundation. The legislation recognises Te Awa Tupua as an indivisible and living whole comprising the Whanganui River from the mountains to the sea, incorporating its tributaries and all its physical and metaphysical elements. It recognises Te Awa Tupua as a legal person, with all the corresponding rights, duties, and responsibilities. This really is something very special, and it is already gaining attention both nationally and internationally.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EFor more than 150 years the iwi have been unwavering in their efforts to have their interests recognised and the health and well-being of the river protected. It is therefore entirely appropriate that the iwi lead the development of the framework enshrined in this bill. However, Whanganui iwi have been very clear that the framework is collaborative and inclusive, and that it both recognises the status and the values of the river and looks strategically to the long term. Although the relationship is inalienable, Whanganui iwi have also sought to work alongside local government, Crown agencies, other iwi, and the communities of the river in negotiating these arrangements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003ETe Awa Tupua is at the very centre of the new arrangements, and it is going to ensure that the river is viewed as an integrated whole when any matters relating to or affecting the river are being considered. The integrated and inclusive nature of the framework encompasses not only the iwi and other iwi and hap\u016B with interests in the river but the community generally. So it really is an exciting day for Parliament, because this longstanding grievance is brought to an end by the passage of this legislation, and I very much look forward to working with the iwi on the appointments to Te Pou Tupua and to seeing this wonderful river, which is at the very centre of the central North Island, repaired and regenerated over the years to come.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003ENot having heard a bell but looking at the clock, I know my time is almost over, so can I thank all iwi representatives for being here today and finish with the great whakatauk\u012B: the great river flows from the mountains to the sea. We now have an arrangement that will be an enduring arrangement and is the start of something very, very special. I commend the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002241146229-4d11-415b-a4ac-f4e2b923e95d\u0022\u003EWaiata\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022 data-id=\u002220e8d5ddfb3e46c28dfe7c5359fad698\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002220e8d5ddfb3e46c28dfe7c5359fad698\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Whare e t\u016B nei, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou e ng\u0101 Iwi o Te Awa o Whanganui, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. Ko t\u0113nei mahi nunui o t\u0113nei r\u0101, ko te kaupapa wheneki o Te Whare m\u014D te kawa o Te Whare P\u0101remata, n\u014D reira, te wairua tanap\u016B, te kauwae, ng\u0101 mihi nui ki a koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E[Acknowledgments to you, the House, standing here, and to you, the tribes of the Whanganui River, salutations to us all. This matter of huge significance today relates to the policy of this House in regard to the procedure of Parliament, and so to the rearing spirit and to the jawbone, much appreciation to you collectively and to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EGreetings everybody. Because I am the Speaker during this session, I am not allowed to make a speech, but there is another whakatauk\u012B that Dame Tariana will agree with and that is that rules are made to be broken. I did not want the give up the opportunity to sit in this place and bask in the reflected glory of the people I care very, very much about and have had the privilege to represent for 12 years, and my clever cousin. So I have chosen to sit in the big chair, and until the intervention of Auntie Julie, I thought I was running the show. Nevertheless, it is a terrific day to be here and a wonderful occasion to celebrate with you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u00229b797d0793a34cc1a431b79f49958335\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229b797d0793a34cc1a431b79f49958335\u0022\u003EADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Hau\u0101uru): \u003C/span\u003EMr Deputy Speaker, e t\u016B tautoko ana ahau Te Reo wakamoemiti ka tukuna atu e te tuakana a T\u016Btehounuku Korako, n\u014D reira e te tuakana, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koe. Otir\u0101, kor\u014Dria hareruia ki a koe e Ihowa o ng\u0101 mano, t\u016B\u0101uriuri, wh\u0101ioio. K\u012B tonu te rangi me te w\u2019enua i te nui o t\u0101u kor\u014Dria, \u0101, t\u012Bhei mauri ora! Mai i Te Rakiura ki Te Tonga, whiti atu ki Te Wharekauri, ki Te R\u0101whiti toro atu ki Te Uru, piki ake ki Te Reinga ki Te Tai Tokerau, ng\u0101 kokonga e wh\u0101 o te motu o Aotearoa, tae atu ki Te Awa Tupua e rere nei. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EKa huri atu au ki ng\u0101 wh\u0101nau i raro i te kapua p\u014Duri, n\u014D reira, e ng\u0101 mate maha o te w\u0101, hoki wairua atu ki a r\u0101tau m\u0101 i te w\u0101hi ngaro. Haere atu r\u0101 ki tua o te \u0101rai ki te k\u0101inga t\u016Bturu m\u014D t\u0101tau m\u014D te tangata. Oti atu te w\u0101 ki a koutou n\u014D reira e oki, e moe, e moe, \u0101 k\u0101ti m\u014D t\u0113n\u0101! N\u014D reira, e Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare, e piri ana taku mihi atu ki aku whanaunga ki te mihi kua tukuna atu e koe, otir\u0101, ki te mihi mai i Te Minita. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, koutou ng\u0101 wh\u0101nau, ng\u0101 hap\u016B katoa o Te Awa o W\u2019anganui, anei au t\u014D koutou whanaunga e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou katoa, nau mai, haramai, whakatau mai r\u0101 ki Te Whare P\u0101remata nei, n\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. E tika ana kia tuku mihi atu ki ng\u0101 hap\u016B me ng\u0101 rohe t\u016Bpuna katoa, puta noa i Te Awa o W\u2019anganui i t\u0113nei r\u0101, t\u0113nei r\u0101 whakahirahira! N\u014D reira koutou m\u0101, nau mai, haramai, whakatau mai r\u0101! He tino h\u014Dnore t\u0113nei kia t\u016B ake i roto i Te Whare nei ki te tuku k\u014Drero e p\u0101 ana ki t\u0113nei pire \u0101taahua, t\u0113nei pire whakahirahira. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E[Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the prayer that the senior member T\u016Btehounuku Korako gave, and so much appreciation to you, the elder member, but, at the same time, glory and hallelujah to You, Jehovah of the countless thousands, of the innumerable, and of the very numerous. Heaven and Earth are filled with the greatness of Your glory, behold the breath of life! Across from the Stewart Island in the south, over to the east to the Chatham Islands and extending up to the west and to the North Cape in the Far North, to the four corners of the country of New Zealand, including the Supernatural River flowing here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI turn my attention to the families beneath the cloud of sadness, and so to you, the many deceased of the moment, return spiritually to them of the place unseen. Go forth indeed beyond the veil to the original home for us mankind. The time for you has come to pass; therefore, rest, sleep, and slumber on! Therefore, Mr Deputy Speaker, my tribute is closely aligned with that accorded by you to my relatives but, at the same time, to that one accorded by the Minister. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ETherefore, to all of the families and subtribes of the Whanganui River, here I am, your relative, according this tribute to you all. Welcome, come hither to this House of Parliament, and so salutations to you all. It is fitting that I pay you, the subtribes, and all the ancestral areas a tribute throughout the river of Whanganui on this day. This indeed is a real honour to stand up in this House to make a contribution about this beautiful bill, this bill of significance.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EIt gives me great pleasure and it is a true honour to stand before this House and speak to Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill before us. I am very much taken by the way in which this settlement has come about. There are aspects within this bill that are quite unique. But first of all, I want to talk not only about the uniqueness of the framework but also about the uniqueness of how the whole process has been used in a very new way. I think it is important to add my mihi to the acknowledgment that the Minister, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, has made to the negotiators. I want to acknowledge the tenacity and, indeed, the courage of the negotiators, on both sides of the table. As someone who has been through the process as a negotiator, I truly do understand the difficulties of that whole pathway.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge that within the framework of the negotiations there truly has been a paradigm shift in the way that it has been expressed. It is a very difficult and quite fixed process. The process has been fixed not only by the guidelines and the rules but also by the practice up until now\u2014the practice that has seen the aspects and the redress items within a settlement package being redetermined by, I was going to say m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori, but m\u0101tauranga o Whanganui. That is a very important aspect to acknowledge\u2014for example, te heke ngahuru ki Te Awa Tupua [the autumnal descent upon the Supernatural River].\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ETe heke ngahuru is the first autumn migration of eels, signifying well-stocked storehouses for the winter. The name is said to symbolise the potential of Te Awa Tupua to provide for all who have cared for and protected it as a living spiritual and physical source. You will not find that aspect in any other settlement before today. And this is just one of many.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge the courage that the negotiators on both sides of the table have taken to redefine how the settlement process can work. It can have a process that is pretty fixed but can be adjusted for the purposes of the iwi of Whanganui. This is an important day. I acknowledge those negotiators who had the foresight to be able to take those concepts and apply them within a framework that is not ours. I have said often in this House that this claims settlement process is flawed; it is a flawed one. But we enter into it for the purpose of providing a better way forward for our future generations. So I want to take that whakaaro, te heke ngahuru ki Te Awa Tupua [that thought, the autumnal descent upon the Supernatural River aboard] and apply it to the future\u2014looking forward to the future\u2014and I want to acknowledge all of the rangatahi who have made the journey from the awa to the Parliament Buildings today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EThis settlement is for you and future generations. It is important to recognise that this settlement will provide a better way forward for future generations. I should actually leave the main points of what I want to bring up to the words of the people from home. You would have noticed, as I did, that my Facebook feed has been flooded with messages from a whole lot of people from home who have talked about the importance of today. There are messages about wishing everyone a blessed day. I want to add my whakaaro to that as well. There are messages from people who could not make it to Parliament today but who are watching on Parliament TV. I want to acknowledge all of them as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI thought I would just read out one message that really captured everything that I wanted to say today. I am borrowing these words from one of my cousins: \u201CToday our awa becomes recognised in its own right.\u201D Ng\u0101 manga iti, ng\u0101 manga nui, e honohono kau ana, ka tupu hei Awa Tupua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E[Small and large creeks immediately joining together to form the Supernatural River.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EIt is a difficult construct for people to come to terms with, but that is the beauty of this journey. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ENg\u0101 mihi atu ki a koe Nancy Tuaine m\u014D ng\u0101 kupu nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E[My thanks to you, Nancy Tuaine, for these words.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI hope you do not mind that I have borrowed them. I also want to acknowledge everyone who has sent messages.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EE tika ana kia tuku mihi atu ki a koe e Te Ariki Tumu, ng\u0101 mihi nui ki a koe kua tae mai, oti noa, ng\u0101 iwi katoa puta noa Te Awa o W\u2019anganui. N\u014D reira, k\u0101ore e roa t\u0113nei t\u016B, oti noa i t\u0113nei w\u0101, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa i runga te tukunga iho \u014D r\u0101tau m\u0101 i te w\u0101hi ngaro, ko Te M\u0101ngai hei tautoko mai, \u0101ianei ake nei, \u0101e!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E[It is apt that I acknowledge you, Paramount Chief Tumu. My huge thanks to you for attendance here, alongside all of the tribes from throughout the river of Whanganui. Therefore, I will not be standing for a long time at this point in time. Many thanks to you all in terms of what they from the place unseen have handed down. The Mouthpiece indeed is the one who will support it, now and forever, yes.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EThank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022 data-id=\u002272a8c46aa6ed4c56bec36e5c62654b72\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002272a8c46aa6ed4c56bec36e5c62654b72\u0022\u003EMARAMA FOX (Co-Leader\u2014M\u0101ori Party):\u003C/span\u003E \u0100, t\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Mana Whakaw\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou \u014Dku pou, \u014Dku rahi. T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te tung\u0101ne, t\u012Bmata i te hekenga o ng\u0101 roimata i a au e k\u014Drero ana nei, ko te taura whiri o Hineng\u0101kau ki \u014Dna tung\u0101ne a Tama\u016Bpoko r\u0101ua ko T\u016Bpoho.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[So thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and salutations to you collectively my pillars and my numerous! Thank you, brother. Tears began to descend as I was speaking here about Hineng\u0101kau\u2019s rope plait to her brothers Tama\u016Bpoko and T\u016Bpoho.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EToday this day of all days I greet the kuia Hinengakau and her brothers Tama\u016Bpoko, and Tupoho.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EHe muka n\u0101 te taura whiri o Hineng\u0101kau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[It is a fibre from Hineng\u0101kau\u2019s rope plait.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EWe welcome all those who descend from the sacred threads of the interwoven rope of Hinengakau\u2014the rope that binds them together as one. In a legislative sense, the sacred rope connects all those who have descended from Ruatipua, Paerangi, and Haunui-\u0101-P\u0101p\u0101rangi to take up their customary rights and responsibilities in respect of the Whanganui River. But in a spiritual sense, te taura whiri o Hinengakau connects further beyond to a period when there were close to 200 k\u0101inga whenua on the banks and cliffs of the Whanganui River, with many more other k\u0101inga along the tributaries. We can know of the life-force of that time through the words left by the late Rangitihi Tahup\u0101rae.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ENg\u0101 manga iti e honohono kau ana, ka hono, ka tupu hei awa, hei Awa Tupua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[The small creeks that link up accordingly, join up and develop as a river to become the Ancestral River.] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThe small streams that run into one another and continue to link and swell until the river is formed\u2014indeed a great river. Today, then, it is our day to acknowledge the great river, Te Awa Tupua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EOn 18 March 1994 the late Atawhai Taiaroa stood at P\u016Btiki Marae, in his role as chairman of the Whanganui River M\u0101ori Trust Board, and told the tribunal that the Whanganui iwi are embarrassed after 118 years of making applications to different levels of Government. This is our tupuna awa. This is our ancestor. To come again today to make that same presentation and, as such, they are saying this: \u201CThis is it.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EHe referred to the petition of Te Keepa Rangihiwinui on the Timber Floating Bill of 1873, and it is the first named claimant, Hikaia Amohia, who died over a century later, in 1991, and all those before, during, and after the passage of legislation that this bill becomes a memorial to. During that first hearing at P\u016Btiki the people lost one of their kuia, Nanny Lucy, the wh\u0101ngai daughter of Hekenui Whakarake and sister to H\u014Dhepa Hekenui, two of the original Whanganui River claimants.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ETe hunga wairua moves in many ways to remind us of what is important, and with the passing of someone so intimately associated with its origins, this bill wears their tears. It carries their memories. It reflects their dreams. So many have passed, with their lives having borne testimony to the stories that brought us here today. So, in this third reading, I want to dedicate my time to that kuia and all the kuia who have given so much of themselves to keep strengthening the interwoven rope of Hinengakau for this day to arrive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EKo te wai anake e rere ana, ko te whakaaro tahi ki te whakapono.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[Only the water flows on, the single intention is to the belief.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThe historical claims of Whanganui iwi as they relate to the Whanganui River bear the imprint of all those who have cried over the course of this journey. In 1895 Mereaina Rauangina and 151 other Whanganui women petitioned Parliament \u201Cto prevent the operation of the law of Government to remove stones from out of the Whanganui River\u201D. The petitioners objected \u201Cso that the Government will not destroy our eel-weirs, our lamprey-weirs, our whitebait dams and the flood currents of the river\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ESeven years ago the beloved kuia Te Manawanui Pauro passed away at an incredible 102 years of age. Her k\u014Drero to the tribunal about the impact of the gravel extraction taken from the river must not be forgotten\u2014gravel extraction that destroyed beds that provided habitat for fish and, ultimately, contributed to the depletion of traditional fisheries.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EKo te tangi a te kuia nei, ka p\u0113whea aku mokopuna, ka ngaro ng\u0101 kai, ka ngaro te mana me te whakaae koe, kia riro i a Tauiwa ng\u0101 mana o \u014D t\u016Bpuna i roto i te wai.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[The lament of this elderly woman is what will become of my grandchildren if food and authority disappear should you agree for the European to acquire the powers that our ancestors have in the water.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u201CWhat will become of my grandchildren? The River stocks will suffer and its mana will suffer if you allow tauiwi to take the mana of our tupuna.\u201D In 1996 that same kuia stood at the w\u0101nanga at R\u0101nana and told the people: \u201CKo te ngaro o t\u014D mita, ka ngaro \u014D maunga, \u014D awa, \u014D t\u016Bpuna ki te ako i t\u014D mita, ka hokihoki mai, \u014D maunga, \u014D awa, \u014D t\u016Bpuna.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[\u201CWith the loss of your dialect, your mountains and rivers are lost. With your ancestors to teach your dialect, bring back your mountains, rivers, and ancestors that are lost.\u201D]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E\u201CIf you lose your language, you lose your mountains, your rivers, and your ancestors. If you learn your language, you regain your mountains, river, and ancestors.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EAll of these messages from our kuia, our w\u0101hine rangatira, are important. They strengthen the substance of the framework: he p\u0101 auroa n\u0101 Te Awa Tupua [a protracted fortified village that belong to the Ancestral River].\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EThis bill reflects the voices of women: Auntie Joan, Nanny Sophie, Nanny Grace, Nanny Nui, the kuia Julie Ranginui, Auntie Dardanella, Dame Tariana, Nancy\u2014the grandmothers, wives, mothers, and daughters who stood alongside their men, who gave instructions in subtle and bold ways, who supported the k\u014Drero with karanga and waiata, and who sang of the spirit of Te Awa Tupua, mai i Te K\u0101hui Maunga ki Tangaroa [from the National Park to the sea], who sacrificed and compromised and wept and waited. Their waiata and whakatauk\u012B, and their karanga and karakia provide other means to understand te mana o te awa. They help describe the heart and soul from which to interpret te mana o te iwi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ETe Ruruku Whakatupua, as it is expressed in this bill, represents immense forbearance, compromise, and generosity on the part of Whanganui iwi. It represents a loving legacy of more than 150 years to both protect the Whanganui River and provide for the special relationship of the Whanganui iwi with the river\u2014and I say \u201Cloving\u201D deliberately. One of the anthems of the river people, \u201CAu\u0113 Te Aroha\u201D, embodies the challenge issued by the kuia Moe \u0100naera Ruka: utaina ki runga i Te Waka o Te Ora [load it upon the Canoe of Life]\u2014in other words, embark upon the canoe of life. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EP\u0101p\u0101 Anatipa, in his book Taku Whare E, shared whakatauk\u012B of the marae of P\u016Btiki, Te R\u014Dp\u016B Kapa Haka or P\u016Btiki M\u0101ori Club: \u201CP\u016Btikitia te Aroha\u201D\u2014bind together in love. It is an incredibly consistent, compassionate, courageous call for unity, singing, praying, speaking together in love, ever mindful of the messages left from beyond to draw upon the m\u0101ramatanga and the mobilisation of the people in defiance of Crown actions in relation to the river. P\u0101kaitore\u201479 days of action, crystallising the anger but also consolidating the resolve of the people to stand strong through it all. The kuia Te Paea Arapata lamented to the tribunal on the loss of customary knowledge: \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EE ngaro ana te m\u0101tauranga \u014D m\u0101tou nei m\u0101tua, ka whakaoti katoa te h\u0101 i a au Te M\u0101ori i te mea, ko au Te M\u0101ori, he aroha t\u014Dku hoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[The knowledge of our parents is missing. Indeed, that will totally complete the tenor within me of being M\u0101ori because I am M\u0101ori and empathy is my friend.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EOur m\u0101tauranga was in decline and our essence as M\u0101ori was being extinguished on account of our inherently trusting nature. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori culture is a complementary culture, where the voices of women and men shape our story to provide the depth of our k\u014Drero today. I have chosen today to focus on the stories of women, but I could just as easily have spoken of their brothers and their fathers, and both have found physical and spiritual sustenance from the river from time immemorial. Our part in the journey as a select committee has been only a moment of that 150 years that the people have been calling for justice, but although our time immersed in the story is brief, what was undeniable was the profound connection to the Awa Tupua of each and every one who appeared or presented to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee on the river\u2019s behalf. They told us: \u201CKauaka e k\u014Drero m\u014D Te Awa \u0113ngari, k\u014Drero ki Te Awa!\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[\u201CDo not talk about the River but speak to it!\u201D]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003EDo not merely talk about the river; speak to and commune with the river. So we too went to the river, a journey where you felt the impact of decades of gravel extraction, pollution, diversion, and losses and suffering and delays and denials, and yet the river still flows on. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003ELike the many twists and turns of Te Awa Tupua, the journey to reach the final conclusion of this settlement process for the iwi of Whanganui has been one of wonder and splendour, but it has also been tinged with sadness and loss for those who have championed the Wai 167 claim: the late Hikaia Amohia, the late Sir Archie John Te Atawhai Taiaroa, the late Joan Akapita, and many, many others\u2014in fact, too many to mention. As we, the M\u0101ori Party, stand in solidarity with them, we treasure and pay tribute to all those who have carried their Te taura whiri o Hineng\u0101kau [Hineng\u0101kau\u2019s rope plait] into this House and, in doing so, we remember the call: E Te Iwi M\u0101ori, puritia kia mau, utaina ki runga i Te Waka o Te ora, ka hoe ai ki te tauranga, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia ora mai t\u0101tau katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3d9fd88-4715-419d-be08-e1c4eda7d09e\u0022\u003E[To you, the M\u0101ori people, hold it securely, place it upon the Canoe of Life, and then row it to the terminal. Acknowledgments and salutations to you collectively and my appreciation to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022 data-id=\u0022b3803d7f6d704ae48123cd12f2b1af3f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b3803d7f6d704ae48123cd12f2b1af3f\u0022\u003EKELVIN DAVIS (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E E Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare whati ture, mihi kau ana ki a koe, e ai ki a m\u0101tau o Te N\u014Dta, n\u014D roto o Ng\u0101ti Hine e mea atu, hara mai taua \u0101hua. N\u0101 reira, mihi kau ana ki a koe m\u014D t\u014D t\u016B ki te mihi atu ki w\u0113nei, ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata n\u0101u nei i t\u016B hei pononga m\u014D r\u0101tau, n\u0101 reira mihi kau ana ki a koe e Te M\u0101ngai.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u201C\u0100, \u0113hara taku rangatira i a K\u0101ingaroa he purupuru, he taka. Ka p\u0101 tau ake ko hau, ko te t\u012Bt\u012B, ko te rua, ko te ata tama puru, ko te rangim\u0101rie, ko te angaanga titi iho i te rangi, kia p\u014Dhutuhutu ki roto i Te Moana-\u0101-Whiti, te m\u0101reretanga taur\u0101 here a Pokopoko taniwha ki runga i a Rangiriri. Ka tere, ka rere, ka mimiti te tai ki Taum\u0101rere, ka tot\u014D ki Hokianga, ka mimiti te tai ki Hokianga, ka tot\u014D ki Taum\u0101rere, \u0101, k\u0101ti ka tau!\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003ET\u0113nei te uri o aua puna e rua n\u014D Te Tai Tokerau; Te Hokianga ka rere atu ki Te Tai Tamat\u0101ne, me Te Taum\u0101rere, ka rere atu ki Te Tai Tamawahine. E mihi kau ana ki a koutou ng\u0101 uri o Te Awa Tupua o Whanganui, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koutou katoa. E Te Ariki, T\u0101 Tumu, mihi kau ana ki a koe. Tua atu i a koe, kore au e whakahuahuatia i ng\u0101 ingoa, i te mea, m\u014Dhio ana ahau ka mahue w\u0113tahi. \u0112ngari, e harikoa ana te kite i te tini \u014D koutou kua whakarauikatia mai ki raro i te tuanui o t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare. M\u014Dhio ana t\u0101tau mehemea e hiahia ana m\u0101tau ki te whakak\u012B i ng\u0101 t\u016Bru kei runga r\u0101, me k\u014Drero i ng\u0101 take e p\u0101 ana ki Te Tiriti. Mehemea e hiahia ana m\u0101tau kia whakaw\u0101tea aua t\u016Bru, me k\u014Drero i ng\u0101 take e p\u0101 ana ki te t\u0101ke. Inap\u014D r\u0101 n\u0101 m\u0101tau i k\u014Drerohia i t\u0113tahi kaupapa m\u014D ng\u0101 take\u2014h\u0101? Horekau he tangata hei m\u0101takitaki, \u0113ngari, e pai ana. Kei konei koutou, kei te mihi atu ahau ki a koutou. T\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 t\u0101tau katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E[Mr Deputy Speaker who breaks laws, I indeed acknowledge you, as we of the Far North, within Ng\u0101ti Hine, say, come hither that situation. And so I really commend you for standing up to acknowledge these ones, these persons who you indeed stood as a servant for them. Therefore, I truly acknowledge you, Mr Deputy Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u201CAnd so, my esteemed one, K\u0101ingaroa is not a caulking that dropped off. But I the sooty shearwater, the chasm, the caulked morning, the peacefulness, the head that shines from heaven, and for the kinship link that drops off of the Pokopoko monster upon Rangiriri to splash about in the sea of Whiti. The tide flows, flees, and diminishes at Taum\u0101rere; it gushes up at Hokianga, and diminishes at Taum\u0101rere, and subsides at last!\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThis one is the descendant of both pools of the Far North: the Hokianga flows out to the west coast, and the Taum\u0101rere out to the east coast. I salute you the descendants of the supernatural river of Whanganui, acknowledgments indeed to you all. Acknowledgments to you indeed paramount chief, Sir Tumu. I will not mention any other names beyond you, in case I leave out someone. But I am pleased to see the countless many that have assembled here under the roof of our House. We all know that if we want to fill the seats up there, we must talk about matters pertaining to the Treaty of Waitangi. If we want to clear those seats, we must talk about matters that concern taxes. Last night we talked about a matter that related to taxes\u2014but what happened? No one was there watching, but that is fine. You are here, and I acknowledge you collectively. Well done, congratulations to you collectively and to all of us.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EAs a descendant of the sacred puna of the Tai Tokerau that is the Hokianga, which flows to what we say is the tai tamat\u0101ne, or the male side of the island, and also a descendant of Taum\u0101rere, which we say is a river, our puna, that flows to the female side of the island, I greet the descendants of Te Awa Tupua o Whanganui. It is a great occasion, and I would like to say that I believe that the bill itself is quite revolutionary. I heard the Minister say that it is an example across New Zealand but also throughout the world\u2014this model that has been proposed to ensure that the best interests of Te Awa Tupua o Whanganui are maintained from now into the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThe fact that we have created a way of making the river an indivisible entity, from the very headwaters down to where it flows out into the sea, encompassing all the catchment areas, I believe is a superb model. We have to make sure that we look after every single part of that indivisible entity. As we have heard Marama Fox say, there is a history of digging the shingle out, and that has ruined the habitats for fish and for the fauna and the flora. There has no doubt been pollution. There has been nutrient run-off. This bill, when it is finalised, will ensure that there is a body that is going to make sure that the best interests of the awa are looked after. Like I say, we have to look after every single bit\u2014the small tributaries, the little lakes, streams, and drains, right out to where the river flows out to the oceans and right up to the headwaters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EIf we imagine the river being a person, we have to look after the whole part of the person. You can guarantee that if you shoot somebody in the head, their feet are going to die as well. It is the same with the river. If we mistreat any one part of the river, it is going to affect the whole river, and that should never be allowed to happen again. We want our children to be able to not just swim in rivers, do bombs off the banks and off the logs, and eel, and do everything that our t\u016Bpuna used to do. We do not just want them to be able to wade in rivers and wade in the water. We want them to be able to swim. We want them to be able to do their bombs and swimming and to drink the water, and that is when we know that the river is entirely cared for and loved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003ESo Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill establishes a framework to look after the awa. As I have said, it recognises the status of the Whanganui River and its tributaries as Te Awa Tupua\u2014an integrated living whole, from the mountains to the sea. It establishes the river as a legal entity in its own right and has its own legal standing. That reflects the view of the river as a living whole and enables the river to have its own independent voice. Of course, that voice is manifested in the two people who will be appointed to the role of Te Pou Tupua. They will be trustees who act on behalf and in the name of Te Awa Tupua and uphold its status and promote its health and well-being. When we talk about the health and well-being of the river we are actually talking about the health and well-being of the people as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003ESo the Pou Tupua will be jointly appointed by iwi and the Crown. They will develop a set of Awa Tupua values. This is where I believe this bill is fantastic. It allows iwi to say that \u201CThese are the values that we hold for our river.\u201D I do not know that it has happened before\u2014perhaps with the Waikato River settlement\u2014but it is about time that iwi have a real say in the values that they believe our rivers should be managed under. There will be a whole-of-river strategy, and the strategy will be developed by collaboration, including iwi, central and local government, commercial and recreational users, and other community groups. So nobody is being left out here. If anyone stands up and says \u201COh, those blimmin M\u0101oris again. They\u2019re wanting to take over.\u201D\u2014no, that is not the case. This is totally inclusive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThe strategy is going to ensure the long-term environmental, social, cultural, and economic health of the river. I just have one little question, or one little thing, to plead: please do not let the economic values or the economic plans override the social, the cultural, and the environmental well-being of the river. That is my plea. The group is going to have ongoing roles in monitoring the implementation of the strategy, providing a forum for raising issues, and reviewing the strategy after 10 years. Again, it is great that it is going to be a living process that keeps getting reviewed and looked after, just to ensure that everything is on track and the river is being cared for as it should be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EThere is going to be a fund of $30 million to help look after, as part of the settlement\u2014a contestable fund available to any person or group or entity seeking funding for initiatives related to Te Awa Tupua, and that fund will be administered by Te Pou Tupua. It is great that Parliament has decided not only do we want M\u0101ori to have a say on how the river is run and cared for and maintained but actually there is going to be some putea to support those goals and ambitions. It is one thing to say here \u201CM\u0101ori, you can do this.\u201D, and then there is no financial support and resource to actually be able to implement all the goals and dreams and aspirations. So I applaud the Government for its putea.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EMy time is quickly running out, but let me just say that it is a pleasure and an honour to be able to speak. We as M\u0101ori have this intense identity with our awa, with our maunga, with our environment, and, as the Minister has said, and it has been said many times on other bills that we have settled, ko ahau te awa; ko te awa ko ahau\u2014as people we are at one and indivisible from our river. So again, I repeat, if we look after our river, then we are actually looking after ourselves and our people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, huri rauna i t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia ora mai an\u014D t\u0101tau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E[Therefore, accolades and congratulations to you collectively throughout our House, and my appreciation to us all once again.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022 data-id=\u0022fde5cada4136423a8dfd41304da8410a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fde5cada4136423a8dfd41304da8410a\u0022\u003ENUK KORAKO (National):\u003C/span\u003E \u0100, t\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te Mana Whakaw\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koutou ng\u0101 pouwaitaka \u014D t\u014D t\u0101tou m\u0101tua tupuna. E, ka mea nui ki te mihi atu ki t\u014D t\u0101tou Matua Nui i Te Raki, ko Ia te t\u012Bm\u0101taka me te whakaotinga o Te Ao katoa. N\u014D reira, ka mihi au ki Te Kaih\u014Dmai \u014D k\u0101 mea pai katoa! Ka maumahara m\u0101tou ki a r\u0101tou kai tua kua wehe ki Te Ao wairua. E, n\u014D reira e koutou r\u0101, o ia marae, o ia iwi, o ia waka, e haere ruka ki te ara wh\u0101nui a T\u0101ne, ko tua o te \u0101rai, haere, haere, e haere atu r\u0101! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E\u0100 t\u0113nei te mihi m\u014D Te Iwi o Whanganu, t\u0113nei te mihi ki ng\u0101 uri ko Kupe, Haunui-a-Paparangi, Haupipi o Tamatea P\u014Dkai Whenua. N\u014D reira e koutou r\u0101, e mauria mai \u014D whakaako ki te kaupapa nunui, mauria mai, mauria mai! N\u014D reira, nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai ki Te Whare P\u0101remata, e huihui takata, a t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa! T\u0113nei te mihi ki ng\u0101 rakatira o Te Whanganui Iwi, t\u0113nei te mihi m\u014D Te Ariki Rakatira o T\u016Bwharetoa, ki a koe e T\u0101 Tumu. \u0100, t\u0113nei te mihi m\u014D te rangatira whaea o Te Whanganui, e Dame Tariana, n\u014D reira, ka nunui te mihi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and greetings to you collectively the pillars of our ancestral forefathers. It is indeed a thing of importance to acknowledge our Great Father in Heaven. He is the beginning and ending of all things in the world. Therefore, I acknowledge the Provider of all good things! We remember those who have departed to the Spiritual Realm. And so to you collectively of each courtyard, tribe, and canoe, traverse the broad path of T\u0101ne to beyond the divide. Go forth, depart, farewell! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EI acknowledge the tribe of Whanganui and the descendants of Kupe, Haunui-\u0101-Paparangi, and Haupipi of Tamatea-P\u014Dkai-Whenua, and so to you collectively, bring forth your teachings to this matter of huge significance. Bring it here, come forth! And so welcome, salutations, pay homage to Parliament, the gatherer of people. Therefore, I salute and acknowledge you collectively, and commend you all. I acknowledge the leaders of the Whanganui tribe and the paramount chief of T\u016Bwharetoa, you, Sir Tumu. I acknowledge you, Dame Tariana T\u016Bria, leading matriarch of Whanganui; the acknowledgment is huge.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EHere we are at the third reading in the final journey of the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill. It is indeed my honour and my pleasure as the kaiwhakahaere of the Komiti Whiriwhiri Take M\u0101ori to be able to k\u014Drero in this third reading. My k\u014Drero is very much about the journey that has happened since the bill has come to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EThis bill is an innovative and world-leading solution to a very complex and, at times, a very, very controversial issue. It is not easy to balance the competing interests of multiple iwi and those other users in the way they appropriately respect the river\u2014tangata whenua and all who now use and benefit from the river. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EBefore I go into more details on some of the aspects of this bill, which was considered by the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, I want to acknowledge a few of the other key people in this process: first of all, the Whanganui iwi, who have been involved in this process right from the beginning. I also want to thank you for your manaaki, your aroha, and your tautoko to the Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Ma\u014Dri when we came to Whanganui to hear the submissions, kanohi ki te kanohi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EThere is also the leadership, as I mentioned, of the negotiators and the lawyers who have worked on your behalf. I want to acknowledge, as the Minister did, the Crown negotiator John Wood and also his staff, who have played such a key part in this. I also know that in putting together such groundbreaking legislation, there is an important part of this House, a supportive part, that is called the Parliamentary Counsel Office. It had a particularly challenging job, so I acknowledge Briar Gordon for the role that she has played, and her staff, and the assistance that she gave to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. I also acknowledge the officials of the Office of Treaty Settlements who, again, worked tirelessly throughout this process from the very early stages of negotiation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge the members of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, and I challenge anyone, particularly from outside this House, who believes that M\u0101ori MPs actually do not do a good job here, particularly on these Treaty settlement bills. We are a very, very pragmatic and hard-working committee. What we always have said is \u201CLet\u2019s park our political affiliations at the door and let\u2019s get on with what is the best for our people.\u201D, and this is a reflection, e hoa m\u0101, of the work that we do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge also the Hon Nanaia Mahuta, who is no longer actually on our committee, but we miss you and we love you. We do miss you. We miss that very, very sort of passive, but strong, leadership that you have shown\u2014kia ora to you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EDespite the bill being the result of a consultation and negotiation process that has actually already happened, there was real work for the committee to do, and we had to carefully consider some of the complex and controversial issues relating to the bill. I just want to highlight some of the changes that were recommended by the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EIn particular, there were concerns that were raised about the reference to some groups as hap\u016B\u2014groups that would consider themselves to be iwi in their own right. What has happened here is that part of the foundation on which the bill is built is a report from the 1950 royal commission of inquiry into the bed of the Whanganui River, which defined those groups with an interest in the river. Parts of this bill that refer back to that report will continue to refer to groups such as Ng\u0101ti Uenuku and Ng\u0101ti Hau\u0101 as hap\u016B. However, that is in no way an indication of how those groups should be referred to. To make sure this is clear, we have recommended an amendment to state that Ng\u0101ti Uenuku and Ng\u0101ti Hau\u0101 may be viewed as iwi within the broader context of the Whanganui iwi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EAnother issue we encountered was the fact that this bill requires the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations to be responsible for appointing a Crown representative to Te Pou Tupua. However, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations is a role that will not exist indefinitely. In fact, thanks to this Government\u2019s actions in progressing the Treaty settlements efficiently, it is a role that may cease to exist sooner rather than later. So for that reason we recommend an amendment that after the first nomination by the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, future nominations will be the responsibility of the Minister for the Environment. We chose the environment portfolio as the most appropriate place for the responsibility to rest because Te Awa Tupua is a freshwater body that falls under the management of the Resource Management Act. We also recommended that when we make such nominations, the Minister for the Environment should be required to consult with the Minister for M\u0101ori Development, the Minister of Conservation, and any other relevant Ministers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EFinally, I want to acknowledge the architect of this incredible piece of legislation. I have been to a number of conferences offshore and all they want to hear about is our Treaty settlement process. When I cite this particular bill, they are in absolute awe as to how we have actually associated a river\u2014a mighty river\u2014with, and given it, the identity of the person, and also as to the fact that that river is such an important and intricate part of people\u2019s lives, indigenous M\u0101ori and non-M\u0101ori, and they want to know how we have actually made that work. So I want to absolutely acknowledge the Minister, Chris Finlayson. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EFinally, it has been an incredible privilege to chair the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, to be a part of those wonderful people who make it up, and then also to be part of the process of passing this really world-leading piece of legislation. I say to all of our Whanganui iwi members, wh\u0101nau tautoko, all of you, you should be proud\u2014and I know you are\u2014of this piece of legislation, and as proud as we are to be able to assist this legislation and to try to make it better, which is our role as members of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229c236aa-2283-4690-9a84-aa865404bb61\u0022\u003EFinally, I commend this bill to the House. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Kia ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022 data-id=\u002217e16ae1536248acb029113e10b2b027\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002217e16ae1536248acb029113e10b2b027\u0022\u003EDAVID CLENDON (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Ng\u0101 mihi o te r\u0101 ki a koutou, \u0101, e ng\u0101 manuhiri, Te Whanganui Iwi, ng\u0101 Hap\u016B, ng\u0101 kaitiaki katoa o Te Awa Nui, \u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003E[Salutations of the day to you collectively and to the visitors, the Whanganui tribe, the subtribes, and to all the guardians of the great river. Acknowledgments to all of you.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EBefore I begin to address the business before us, with your indulgence, I would just like to put on the record of the House an acknowledgement of the passing of a remarkable New Zealander. Maggie Lawton, who was a scientist, a businesswoman, a policy maker, and later in life a politician\u2014a member of the Otago Regional Council\u2014sadly passed away a day or two ago. She was a leader\u2014a leader of a sort that not only sets high standards but then enables people to meet those standards. She was a proud mother, with reason to be proud, and, above all, she will be remembered for her leadership and for her commitment to the well-being of this country and all of those people in it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EKi ng\u0101 mate e wh\u0101, moe mai, moe mai, moe mai i roto i Te Ringa o Te Atua, haere, haere, haere r\u0101. Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate, te hunga ora ki te hunga ora, mauri ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003E[To the four deaths, sleep, rest, and slumber in the arms of God. Depart, go forth, and farewell. Let the dead remain among the dead, and the living among the living. Let there be life.] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003ETo return to much happier matters, it is a great pleasure and it is a privilege to speak on behalf of the Greens in support of this quite remarkable piece of legislation. The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations referred to it as historic, and it is historic in many ways, not only for at least partly putting right the harm that has been done to Whanganui iwi, and, indeed, to the awa over many years, but also to the extent to which it does break new ground or strengthen our commitment to embedding Te Ao M\u0101ori into P\u0101keh\u0101 law. That is a remarkable step. It is remarkable progress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EIn one of my former lives I was fortunate to be a lecturer. I taught in resource management. One of the tasks we set our students quite early on in the programme was to challenge them, in a sense, to understand their own world view\u2014the way in which they interpreted and saw and understood the world. It was thin ice for academics to be challenging young people at that level, at that very fundamental level, about their values and beliefs. But the purpose of it, in part, was to enable them to recognise and to strengthen their awareness that although they had a particular world view\u2014a product of their culture, of their upbringing, of their wh\u0101nau, and of all of those things that influence us as human beings\u2014the people with whom they would engage in terms of their professional career would also have a particular and a unique world view. It was endeavouring to help those students understand the importance of respecting and understanding other people\u2019s, as well as their own, positions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EOne of the key challenges we put to our students was to ask them about their understanding of the relationship between humans and the non-human world. Given that many of them came from a P\u0101keh\u0101, predominantly Western, cultural background\u2014a very rational, dare I say it, world view\u2014often they would see human beings as separate from the rest of the world, from nature, from this thing we call the environment. We did not seek to prove those students wrong, but we certainly wanted to challenge them so that they could explicitly state something about those assumptions and those beliefs. For many of them there was that sense of dualism, of people being separate from the rest of the natural world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EOne of the readings I would require of students was an article written in 1972 by an American legal academic called Christopher Stone, and it was called \u201CShould Trees Have Standing?\u2014Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects\u201D. To say it was controversial at the time would be an understatement. The proposition was that, yes, we routinely assign rights to human beings, but that changes over time. At one time women had many fewer rights than men, if any, indeed. Some women would argue that has not changed dramatically. For many people the notion of assigning rights to non-human entities was a step too far, and yet they would understand\u2014or accept, rather\u2014that corporations, that companies, and that trusts could have the rights of a natural person. So it ought not to have been, but it turned out to be, rather difficult\u2014\u201Cunthinkable\u201D was the word he used\u2014for some people to accept the proposition from this Christopher Stone, who was, as I say, an American legal academic in 1972.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EHe said this: \u201CI am quite seriously proposing that we give legal rights to forests, oceans, rivers and other so-called \u2018natural objects\u2019 in the environment\u2014indeed, to the natural environment as a whole.\u201D In academic circles, legal circles, and political circles that was a bombshell. It was deemed laughable, ridiculous, and unworkable. It is interesting that I think for indigenous people, not least of all M\u0101ori, there is no such barrier to assigning legal rights and agency and personhood to natural objects, because we as M\u0101ori understand we are linked through whakapapa to those elements in the landscape. We are linked through whakapapa to our mountains, to our rivers, to our moana, to our forests. So that barrier to the understanding or the acceptance of what this bill does has never really existed in the same way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EI think it is remarkable that this bill does embed one of the fundamental beliefs and values of Te Ao M\u0101ori: the notion of connectedness with the natural world, and human beings as part of it. It embeds that deeply into statute, into New Zealand law, in the same way that Te Urewera Act did. I think that as well as being significant and important as an empowerment of Te Ao M\u0101ori and M\u0101ori beliefs, it is also a very powerful assertion of tino rangatiratanga, the notion that we M\u0101ori, as others will, will determine our own futures, and that we should allow the non-human elements of our world\u2014in this case, the river\u2014to also have a hand and a say in asserting their own futures. This legislation, I believe, will lead directly, assuming a happy outcome in terms of implementation, to a restoration of the mauri of our largest river, a river that is one of the most significant features in this country, and in our cultural world, as well. I would be so bold as to quote Gerrard Albert, the negotiator of Ng\u0101 T\u0101ngata Tiaki o Whanganui, who said that \u201CThe point is to approximate at law what the river is to us in custom and kawa: a living tupuna, not an inanimate, lifeless resource to be used without regard to its mana.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EI think it is true to say that any person who sits alongside a river or sits quietly in a forest will hear the voice of that river, will hear the voice of that forest. In a more pragmatic sense, and a more practical sense, the river will require a human voice, and this legislation does allow for that: Te Pou Tupua, the human voice of the river. When we are making decisions\u2014I shall call them the mundane but critically important decisions\u2014about resource allocation, about land use, and about policy, the river will have a very powerful voice directly in those negotiations, in those discussions, and in that decision making. It will be a M\u0101ori voice and a P\u0101keh\u0101 voice, and that is as it should be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003EI think there is enormous potential in this not only to heal the harm that has been done but also to help New Zealanders who may not yet understand the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the importance of embedding Te Tiriti and its articles and its purpose deeply into all of our law, into all of our thinking, into all of our decision making. The great winner, I believe, in this legislation will be Te Awa o Whanganui. It will be the people of Whanganui. It will be all of us. It enhances the mana of this Parliament to pass legislation of this sort. There are no losers, I believe, in the passing of this legislation, and that is something one cannot always say about bills we put through this House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003ESo, finally, I will simply acknowledge\u2014and others are far better qualified than I to name them, so I will not\u2014those living and those who have passed who have fought long and hard to bring us to this point when we can appropriately recognise the mana of Te Awa o Whanganui. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022 data-id=\u0022b16eaf8d01084aab886224f3a60b38ad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b16eaf8d01084aab886224f3a60b38ad\u0022\u003EPITA PARAONE (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Deputy Speaker, t\u0113n\u0101 an\u014D hoki t\u0101tou o Te Whare nei. I tautokongia ng\u0101 mihi i mihingia ki a koutou ng\u0101 iwi o Te Awa o Whanganui i taemai nei ki te whakarongo, ki te m\u0101takitaki i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero a ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata i kawe mai i t\u0113nei kaupapa ki roto o Te Whare nei. M\u0101ku e mea atu ki a koutou, kia aroha mai, aroha mai ki a au n\u0101 te mea, kua pau k\u0113 ng\u0101 k\u014Drero i ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata i t\u016B ake i mua i a au. W\u0113n\u0101 te mate i a m\u0101tou o Aotearoa Tuatahi, ahakoa he r\u014Dp\u016B iti nei, i t\u0113nei w\u0101 e noho ana m\u0101tou i t\u0113nei taha o Te Whare \u0113ngari m\u0113n\u0101 ka kaha ana t\u0101 koutou aroha ki a m\u0101tou i te m\u0101rama o Hepetema e t\u016B mai, \u0101, kei neke atu i a m\u0101tou ki t\u0113r\u0101 taha, kia ahatia? Ahakoa i p\u0113n\u0101, kei roto i a au \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 k\u014Drero e hiahia ana kia puta mai ki waenganui i a t\u0101tou i te r\u0101 nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and salutations once again to us of this House. I endorse the tributes accorded to you collectively, the people of the Whanganui River who have arrived to listen and to watch the contributions by the people who brought this matter into this House here. I will say to you collectively to empathise with me and to pity me because all that has to be said have been exhausted by those who got up before me. That is a problem we of New Zealand First have to contend with because we are only a small party, and at this time we are sitting on this side of the House, but if your empathy for us is really strong in the September that is coming, you might shift us to that side. So what can be done about that? Even if the situation is like that, I have some things within me that I want to air amongst you today.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EI just want to also add to the contributions made by my fellow colleagues on both sides of the House today, and say that we in New Zealand First will certainly support this bill because it is a unique one. It is unique in the sense that it creates what we call a special entity, and in this case it is Te Awa Tupua\u2014the Whanganui River. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EWhen I stand here at this time I am mindful of a number of people who have passed on who have been responsible for initiating this particular claim, this particular legislation, and in that regard, I want to acknowledge Te Atawhai Taiaroa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003ETe Atawhai Taiaroa n\u0101 te mea, i te w\u0101 ko ia t\u0113tahi \u0101pih\u0101 m\u014D Te Rohe o Whanganui, m\u014D Te Tari M\u0101ori, i a au tetahi o ng\u0101 \u0101piha i roto i Te Tari M\u0101ori i roto i Te Tai Tokerau, e k\u012B nei te k\u014Drero, i mahi tahi i \u0101 m\u0101ua. N\u0101 reira, ka nui ng\u0101 mihi, me \u0113r\u0101 atu o ng\u0101 m\u0101tua, ng\u0101 kuikuia i \u0101whina ki te kawe atu i t\u0113nei kaupapa, kia tau te ker\u0113me i te r\u0101 nei. T\u016B atu i t\u0113n\u0101, e hiahia ana au kia mihi atu ki Te Ariki mai i Te Whare o T\u016Bwharetoa, n\u0101 reira ng\u0101 mihi ki a koe e Tumu! Tua atu i t\u0113n\u0101 i a Gerard, i a Tihi me John, horekau e kite atu i a koe e te tuahine Tariana \u0113ngari, m\u0113n\u0101 kei konei koe, ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003E[Te Atawhai Taiaroa, because when she was a M\u0101ori Affairs official for the Whanganui region, I had one of these M\u0101ori Affairs officials in Northland. It could be said that we worked together. And so my accolades in regard to that are huge; plus for those other parents and those other elder womenfolk who helped to progress this matter along, and for the claim to land here on this day. Further to that, I want to acknowledge the paramount chief from the House of T\u016Bwharetoa. So acknowledgments to you Tumu! Furthermore, I acknowledge Gerard, Tihi, and John, I cannot see you, sister colleague Tariana; if you are here, my acknowledgment to you collectively is a huge one.] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EI just want to acknowledge that this bill is a recognition of the Crown\u2019s obligation, which is that the iwi is able to exercise its right to its cultural obligations to the river, and this is what this bill allows the iwi o Whanganui. When I say \u201Ciwi\u201D\u2014when this case came before the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, there was some discussion around the use of the word \u201Ciwi\u201D but, in particular, the word \u201Chap\u016B\u201D, which was used by Hekenui Whakarake before the royal commission of inquiry into the bed of the Whanganui River in 1950. I am not surprised that that tupuna alluded to the word \u201Chap\u016B\u201D, and not \u201Ciwi\u201D. Those of us who have studied anthropology\u2014particularly New Zealand anthropological history\u2014will know that the word \u201Ciwi\u201D is not a M\u0101ori word. It was initiated by those early anthropologists just to be able to describe a number of hap\u016B. So the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee\u2014and I am not quite sure at the time whether that was the reason that we changed it, but it made it very easy for us to ensure that those respective hap\u016B were, in fact, recognised as iwi as part of the legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EThis bill also has the support of the local body. As part of the questioning that we had with the officials involved with this bill, we asked whether the payment of $430,000 to the Horizons Regional Council was to be considered part of the quantum. We were advised accordingly that, no, this was not part of the quantum, and it was to be paid by the Crown to the regional council as a contribution towards the cost of establishing Te K\u014Dpuka and developing Te Heke Ngahuru ki Te Awa Tupua\u2014the river strategy. This payment is not part of the quantum payable to Whanganui iwi and is not counted as settlement redress, and I can say that the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee was certainly happy to hear that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EI also want to say that the bill will reverse what has been described as the disenfranchisement of the iwi of the river, and it recognises Te Awa Tupua as a legal person. There will be expectations of the collaborative and inclusive working together with all the other groups that are involved with the river, but I do ask the question: how will this new arrangement be affected by the proposed Resource Legislation Amendment Bill? I think that will be something that people will need to consider once the terms of the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill are either confirmed or, certainly, debated in this House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EIt also indicates a willingness on the part of Te Awa Tupua to work with all those having an interest in the river, and it is a settlement that is certainly unique. We have heard people say that there is interest in the arrangement that this bill brings, not only from other iwi but from other entities from around the world. So it certainly shows the willingness of not only the Crown but, more importantly, the iwi of Whanganui to accept a new way of administering and looking after their river. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003EI just want to conclude by saying a little whakatauk\u012B that I have taken licence to change a little bit. It is: Tuia Te Rangi i runga, tuia Te Papa ki raro, ka rere haere Te Awa o Whanganui ki waenganui, n\u0101 reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia ora mai an\u014D t\u0101tou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cba965bb-864f-4e06-99dc-6fcdfd007ad5\u0022\u003E[Bind the sky above, thread the earth below, the Whanganui River flows in between and so, accolades and congratulations to you collectively, and my appreciation once again to us collectively.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022 data-id=\u0022db18736885424e26ba3e9c170715484b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022db18736885424e26ba3e9c170715484b\u0022\u003EJOANNE HAYES (National):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, t\u0113n\u0101 koe, \u0101, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou ng\u0101 wh\u0101nau o Te Awa o Whanganui, nau mai, haere mai ki te r\u0101 whakahirahira. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E[Thank you, thank you, and a huge acknowledgment to you collectively, the families of the Whanganui River. Welcome, come hither to the highly important day.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EKia ora, Mr Deputy Speaker, and kia ora to the wh\u0101nau o Whanganui. I am really pleased to take a call in the final reading of Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill today. I am really privileged to do this, because it has been a long time coming, as my colleagues have said in their contributions in the House today. I do want to acknowledge our T\u0101 Tumu te Heuheu and our Dame Tariana Turia. It is right and respectful to do that at the start of my speech, and I am really pleased to see you both sitting here listening to the contributions today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EMy contribution is going to be brief. It always is on a third reading, mainly because the longer we talk, the longer you wait to actually have your bill given Royal assent. One of the kuia who I do want to acknowledge, who passed away, is Auntie Dardi Metek\u012Bngi. I knew her prior to going to Whanganui, to the district health board (DHB). She was the kaum\u0101tua\u2014the kuia\u2014for the Whanganui DHB at the time, and she passed away last year. I am going to read out today one of the contributions that she made towards the awa, because I thought it was rather poignant that she said these things before she passed. She considered the awa, and said: \u201CThe awa is a beautiful thing. You need the people. It lives with the people. It\u2019s part of who you are, like a soul partner, sharing everything with you, and it gives it back to you. You don\u2019t get strength from what you see but from what you believe. These things that nature has given us are our inheritance, are our wh\u0101nau, and that tells us\u2014that tells us\u2014that the awa is an entity. It always has been. It never ever was never ever an entity for our wh\u0101nau of the Whanganui awa.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EI just say for the people in this House here, our members of Parliament, that if ever you get a chance to be able to cross the Whanganui River, at any point of its journey from Hinengakau all the way down through to T\u016Bpoho, and if you sit and you stop and you listen, I am sure that you will hear the voices of our t\u016Bpuna as they are singing that wonderful waiata that I have fallen in love with. The words are: e rere Te Awa Tupua [flow the Ancestral River].\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EAnd, with that, I commend the bill to the House. Congratulations. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022 data-id=\u00225f995253742e4e77a735c8e6b2885672\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225f995253742e4e77a735c8e6b2885672\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: James Shaw\u2014a 5-minute call on behalf of the Green Party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022 data-id=\u00223aba93462cef46b09183e43e73d6d882\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223aba93462cef46b09183e43e73d6d882\u0022\u003EJAMES SHAW (Co-Leader\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E E Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. He mihi aroha ki a koutou ng\u0101 uri o Te Awa o Whanganui, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and a loving acknowledgment to you, the relatives of the Whanganui River. Well done, congratulations, and accolades to you all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EI am P\u0101keh\u0101. My ancestors are from \u014Cp\u014Dtiki, where Whakat\u014Dhea are tangata whenua. I asked for the honour to be allowed to speak to this bill. As Kai\u0101rahi o Te R\u014Dp\u016B K\u0101k\u0101riki [Leader of the Green Party], I asked to be allowed to speak to this bill because it contains a gift for Te Ao Katoa [the entire world].\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EWhen I first ran for the leadership of the Green Party, just over 2 years ago, I was talking about the notion of legal personhood for natural features. Patrick Gower, a journalist, dismissed the idea as \u201Chuman rights for snails\u201D. So I hope he is listening to the debate this morning.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EIn my time I want to acknowledge and thank all of those who have made this possible. I would like to speak particularly to the recognition of legal personhood of Te Awa Whanganui. I want to recognise what a gift it is that you have given to all of us. I would like to start by acknowledging the people who have made all of this possible\u2014the hap\u016B and t\u016Bpuna rohe of Whanganui iwi. You are the tangata whenua and the kaitiaki of Te Awa Whanganui. I acknowledge everything that you have passed through, the sacrifices you have made, and the injustices you have suffered, which have brought us to this point. As P\u0101keh\u0101 I honestly cannot even begin to imagine what it is that you have been through, on your journey to this point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EI do want to acknowledge the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee and the chair, Nuk Korako, for the work that they have done to bring us to this point; the officials; and the negotiators on both sides, who have done, I think, superb work in creating this bill. I would also like to acknowledge the Hon Chris Finlayson, the Minister responsible and also the Attorney-General of this country, for shepherding through a conservative Government what is actually a pretty radical legal notion\u2014the idea that an environmental feature would have legal personhood. I asked him, in the middle of an election campaign\u2014I said: \u201CHow did you get that through Cabinet? I would have thought there would be some resistance.\u201D He said \u201COh, it\u2019s a very interesting legal notion.\u201D, and simply wandered off. In other words, I do not think they knew what they were signing up to!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EKo au ko te awa; ko te awa ko au\u2014I am the river; the river is me. Obviously, this is such a deeply spiritual and cultural notion to M\u0101ori and to the people of the Whanganui River that this bill gives such recognition to. I would like to speak to what it means for an environmental feature in Aotearoa to have legal personhood. It means that the river itself has the right not to be polluted. It has the right not to be degraded. It has the right not to be overdrawn before it can replenish itself. And that is an extraordinary idea\u2014that the river has that right, in and of itself, not to be polluted, not to be degraded, and not to be drawn down before it can replenish itself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EMy colleague Pita Paraone asked what the interaction is between that idea and the Resource Management Act. As you will have the power of attorney, I urge you to use it because it is going to be fascinating to see how this idea of legal personhood actually plays out in New Zealand. That right not to be polluted or degraded I think should be tested. We want to see what that looks like, because that is going to be a great day.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EIn so doing, it sets a precedent for all of Aotearoa and also for te ao katoa. So I want to thank you. I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for what you have sacrificed and what you have been through to give this gift to all of us. This is not just for the people of Whanganui. This is a gift for all of Aotearoa and for the world, and I acknowledge you for that. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022 data-id=\u00225eddf347ec1846749b599fc21a862ae5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225eddf347ec1846749b599fc21a862ae5\u0022\u003EDr SHANE RETI (National\u2014Whangarei):\u003C/span\u003E \u0100, t\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Deputy Speaker, e rau rangatira m\u0101 ko t\u0113nei taku mihi ki a koutou katoa, \u0101, kia ora mai t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E[And so thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. This is my acknowledgment to you all, esteemed ones and others of a hundredfold. My appreciation to us collectively.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EIt is a pleasure to speak to this, the third reading of the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill. Today we have heard this bill called revolutionary and unique, and I want to call it extraordinary. I want to extend on the concept of personhood that the member James Shaw just talked about, because here today we recognise a river and its catchment as a legal entity, a legal person\u2014Te Awa Tupua, under the framework of Te P\u0101 Auroa n\u0101 Te Awa Tupua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003ETe P\u0101 Auroa itself has seven components: Te Awa Tupua, Tupua te Kawa, Te Pou Tupua, Te Heke Ngahuru ki Te Awa Tupua, Te K\u014Dpuka n\u0101 Te Awa Tupua, Kia Matara Rawa, and Te Korotete o Te Awa Tupua. Some of these elements are governance and operational components, but it is Te Awa Tupua that joins the physical and the metaphysical, \u201Can indivisible and living whole, comprising the Whanganui River from the mountains to the sea, incorporating all its physical and meta-physical elements\u201D\u2014a legal person with all the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person. This is such a breathtaking step that extra steps were required with the standard legislation-making process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EA regulatory impact statement is not typically required for a Treaty settlement process. Treaty settlements are generally exempt from the regulatory impact assessment requirements, unless the settlement affects existing regulatory requirements. The Te Awa Tupua framework is a novel redress, and its implementation will require altering decision making under existing regulatory frameworks, and so a regulatory impact statement was required.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThe key legislation that the river interacts with, as a legal person, are the Resource Management Act, local government Acts, conservation legislation, fisheries and forests Acts, the Biosecurity Act, and the Land Act. In its full expression, then, when considering the river as a legal entity, a person, interactions with legislation must recognise and provide for the physical and metaphysical elements of the river and the values of iwi, or have particular regard for the physical and metaphysical elements of the river, and the values of iwi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EI want to further reflect for a moment on the recognition of the river as a legal person. Is this the first time a physical entity has been given these attributes\u2014the attributes of personhood; legal attributes in New Zealand? No, it is not. It is actually the second such Act. On 27 July 2014 the Te Urewera Act recognised Te Urewera National Park as \u201Ca legal entity\u201D with \u201Call the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person.\u201D So this is not the first time, but it is the first time that a river has been given the legal status of a person, with all the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EWith personhood comes the privilege of citizenship, and I contend here today that the Whanganui River now joins the Urewera lands as legally the oldest living people in New Zealand. The Latin concept of jus soli is still the fundamental concept of citizenship in America and indeed was in New Zealand until 2006. It guarantees birthright citizenship to the land where you draw your first breath and become a life. How appropriate, then, that the river be recognised as a person, that its first breath be here in Aotearoa, that its unalienable birthright be recognised under jus soli, which in Latin also translates into \u201Cthe rights of the soil\u201D\u2014how appropriate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EIn summary, iwi have been the voice that, together with the Crown here today, breathes legal life into the river as it before you has breathed life into your t\u016Bpuna and those still to come. I am privileged here today at this third reading to record this moment, to reflect on the physical and the metaphysical becoming one in law, and the opportunity for this iwi and hap\u016B to move forward. I wish this iwi and this hap\u016B well with their stewardship and commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u00221bf0f1d922204da7bc845149968111df\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221bf0f1d922204da7bc845149968111df\u0022\u003EPEENI HENARE (Labour\u2014T\u0101maki Makaurau):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e Te M\u0101ngai o Te Whare, kua riro m\u0101ku nei te taha o Te R\u014Dp\u016B Reipa ki roto i t\u0113nei te p\u0101nuitanga tuatoru o t\u0113nei pire e whakakapi. E haere tonu ana ng\u0101 mihi ki a koe e te p\u0101p\u0101 e T\u016Btehounuku Korako, i whakaritea nei i t\u014D t\u0101tau huihuinga mai i te t\u012Bmatanga o te awatea tae noa mai ki t\u0113nei w\u0101. Ko te manako, ka tau tonu mai ng\u0101 manaakitanga o Te Kaihanga ki runga i a t\u0101tau kua whakak\u0101hui mai nei, n\u014D reira e mihi atu ana au ki a koe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EE tangi tonu ana ahau ki ng\u0101 tini aitu\u0101 o te w\u0101 nei kua wahaina mai e Te Minita me ng\u0101 mema o Te Whare nei i ng\u0101 aitu\u0101 ki roto i ng\u0101 wiki, marama, tau kua pahure ake nei. E te whaea, e Rose, ka kite atu ahau i a koe ka hoki ng\u0101 mahara ki t\u014D hoa, ki t\u014Dku p\u0101p\u0101 ki a Morvin. E tangi tonu ana t\u0113nei, tana tamaiti, ki a ia kua ngaro atu ki Te P\u014D. E te tuakana e Che, te kitenga atu i a koe me te wh\u0101nau, ka hoki ng\u0101 mahara ki te p\u0101p\u0101 ki a Tahup\u0101rae. N\u0101 runga i t\u0113r\u0101, ka k\u012B atu ki a koutou, nau mai, haere mai ki Te Whare o Tahup\u0101rae i \u014Dna r\u0101. K\u0101ti ake ki ng\u0101 aitu\u0101 maha o te w\u0101 nei, kotahi tonu te k\u014Drero, haere mai, haere. \u201CTupu mauri ora ki Te Whei ao, ki Te Ao M\u0101rama, tiheiw\u0101 mauri ora.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EE aku rangatira ka whakahokia mai ng\u0101 r\u0101rangi k\u014Drero ki Te Ao T\u016Broa nei. Ki ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata kei roto i Te R\u016Bma Nui o Te Whare P\u0101remata k\u012Bhai i whai t\u016Bru i te ahurewa m\u0101takitaki, e mihi atu ana ki a koutou. K\u0101ti, koutou e noho mai n\u0101 ki ng\u0101 p\u0101t\u016B o t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare i te r\u0101 nei, e mihi atu ana t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou. Kei taku Ariki, kua k\u014Drero mai n\u0101 e t\u014Dku tuakana a Kelvin i te k\u014Drero a Tarakuk\u016B i a ia i runga i te k\u0101inga o T\u0101peka ki roto i Te P\u0113whairangi. Tuituia mai te mana o t\u014D tupuna a Te Iwikau ki ng\u0101 k\u014Drero o t\u0113nei Whare i te r\u0101 nei, kei taku Ariki, t\u0113n\u0101 koe, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EHuri t\u016B atu ki a koe e Te Whare o P\u014Dtatau. Ka kite atu ahau i a koe e te tuahine, ka rere atu ng\u0101 mihi nui ki a koe. I \u0101ta tauira mai t\u014D iwi, t\u014D Whare, i te mana o Te Awa o Waikato, ki t\u0113nei te mana o Te Awa o Whanganui, e mihi atu nei, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKua rangona ahau i te ingoa o Te Kahurangi a T\u0101riana. Kei t\u014Dku tuar\u0101 i t\u0113nei w\u0101, e Te Kahurangi, e te wh\u0101ea, harikoa ana au kua whakawhiti mai koe ki t\u0113nei taha o Te Whare! K\u0101ti e mihi atu ana au ki a koe e te mema tawhito o t\u014D t\u0101tau Whare, te kaikawe i ng\u0101 kaupapa o t\u014D k\u0101inga, otir\u0101, o Te Motu wh\u0101nui e mihi atu ana au ki a koe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EHuri t\u016B atu ki te taha P\u0101keh\u0101 e Te Koromatua o Wanganui e Hamish. I kite atu ahau i t\u014D mata ki roto i Te Matatini, kua tae mai i te r\u0101 nei e mihi atu ana au ki a koe. Ko koe te whakatinanatanga o te nuinga, o te rahi o ng\u0101 kupu kai roto i t\u0113nei pire. Kia kaua e riro m\u0101 Ng\u0101 Iwi me Ng\u0101 Hap\u016B anahe te mana whakahaere o Te Awa; ko kon\u0101 tonu Te P\u0101keh\u0101, t\u0113r\u0101 hoa o Te Tiriti o Waitangi i whakamanahia i te tau 1840. K\u0101ti e mihi atu ana au ki a koe e Te Koromatua, t\u0113n\u0101 koe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKa tahuri atu ahau ki te pire nei. E tika ana ki roto i te p\u0101nuitanga tuatoru me patu kutu te tangata nei, arohaehae i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero kei roto, i ng\u0101 mea kaupapa kei roto i te pire nei. I roto i te r\u0101rangi tuatahi ka kite atu ahau i t\u0113tahi hapa kei roto i Te Reo M\u0101ori. Anei hoki: \u201CKua \u0101ta tirohia e Te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take M\u0101ori Te Pire a Te Awa Tupua\u201D. E k\u012Ba nei, ko t\u014Dna tikanga, ko ng\u0101 kupu kei roto i te t\u016Btohutanga, an\u0101 e \u014Drite ana ki te ingoa o te pire nei ar\u0101 ko \u201CTe Pire o Te Awa Tupua\u201D. K\u0101ti, ka waiho n\u0101 atu t\u0113r\u0101 whakaaro m\u0101 Te Whare hei whakatikatika \u0101 t\u014Dna w\u0101. K\u0101re e kore ka kitea wh\u0101nuitia ki roto i te roanga ake o ng\u0101 k\u014Drero, e aua. \u0112ngari ka waiho n\u0101 atu m\u0101 ng\u0101 \u0101piha hei whakatika.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EK\u0101ti, kua puta mai \u0113tahi k\u014Drero e p\u0101 ana ki ng\u0101 taniwha o Te Ture. Ko t\u0113tahi ko te RMA e k\u014Drero nei e Te Motu wh\u0101nui. E tika ana te k\u014Drero a Te \u016Apoko-hoa o Te R\u014Dp\u016B K\u0101k\u0101riki, me whakam\u0101tautauhia e t\u0101tau i te mana o t\u0113nei pire, o t\u0113nei ture, ki roto i ng\u0101 K\u014Dti o Te Whenua nei. Ain\u012B t\u0101tau ka kite mehemea, ka whai mana, ka whai huruhuru ng\u0101 k\u014Drero kei roto i t\u0113nei pire. T\u0113n\u0101 pea m\u0101 tetahi atu taniwha, ar\u0101, ko te RMA, hei ngahoro, hei waipuke, hei t\u0101mi ki raro i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero o t\u0113nei pire, \u0101 taihoa ake nei t\u0101tau ka kite. \u0100, taihoa ake nei ka kite!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, ko te tangi atu ki Te Iwi e pae nei: kia mataara, kia mataara, kia mataara. Kai p\u014Dh\u0113h\u0113 koutou, kua oti te haerenga o t\u0113nei kaupapa\u2014k\u0101hore, k\u0101hore, k\u0101hore! Ko te hiahia e te tuakana e Che, ki roto i ng\u0101 tau maha kei mua i a t\u0101tau, ka rangona wh\u0101nui i ng\u0101 waiata, i ng\u0101 haka e p\u0101 ana ki t\u0113nei kaupapa, mai i t\u014Dna orokohanga tae noa mai ki t\u0113nei w\u0101 \u0101 taihoa ake nei, ka kitea ki runga i te \u0101t\u0101mira o Te Matatini, an\u0101, i whakak\u0101hui ai i Te Ao M\u0101ori ki roto i ng\u0101 wiki kua pahure ake nei; ka ora tonu ai te k\u014Drero m\u014D t\u0113nei pire, ka ora tonu ai ng\u0101 manako o t\u0113nei whakatupuranga m\u014D ng\u0101 uri whakatupu e haere ake nei. N\u014D reira, koin\u0101 te wero nui kei mua i a t\u0101tau e Te Iwi M\u0101ori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKua \u0101ta tauira mai e koutou te mana o Te Awa o Whanganui. He wero t\u0113n\u0101 ki \u014Dku ake o Te Tai Tokerau! Kua k\u014Drero atu Te Whare m\u014D te mana o ng\u0101 puna waiora o Te Tai Tokerau, o Hokianga, o Taum\u0101rere. E Te Minita, e Te H\u014Dnore Christopher Finlayson, ka waiho n\u0101 atu t\u0113n\u0101 whakaaro m\u0101u. \u0100 t\u014Dna w\u0101 ka k\u014Drero koe ki ng\u0101 rangatira o Ng\u0101puhi, o Te Tai Tokerau, ko te hiahia, kia kaua t\u0101tau e wareware ki Te Poutiriao o Rangiriri kei roto i a au o Taum\u0101rere \u0101 taihoa ake nei. E Te Iwi kua tangi te pere!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, hei whakar\u0101popoto ake, hei whakakapi ake i t\u0113nei taha o Te Whare e k\u014Drero ana m\u014D t\u0113nei pire e mihi atu ana au ki a koutou. Ko te manako, m\u0101 te w\u0101hi ngaro koutou e tiaki i a koutou e hoki atu ana ki ng\u0101 w\u0101 k\u0101inga puta noa. Kia m\u014Dhio mai koutou, i te ata nei i t\u012Bmata m\u0101tau ki Te P\u0101kau o Heretaunga, m\u014D te kaupapa o Ng\u0101 Hap\u016B me Ng\u0101 Iwi o Te Wairoa. Ka mutu te p\u0101nuitanga tuatahi o taua pire, ka kake ake m\u0101tau i Te Maunga Tapu o Tongariro ki roto i Te Pito o Te Whenua. Ka tiro atu ki Te P\u0101kau o Te Tai Hau\u0101uru, ko Te Awa o Whanganui e tere atu nei, k\u0101ti ki a t\u0101tau e hui ng\u0101tahi ana, e \u014Dku m\u0101tua, e \u014Dku rangatira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tau katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E[Salutations to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, now that it has been left for me to conclude the contribution by the Labour Party in this the third reading of this bill. Tributes continue to be made to you, father figure T\u016Btehounuku Korako, who organised our getting together and delivered a prayer in regard to the beginning of the day to this moment. The hope is that the acts of generosity of the Creator continue to descend upon us who have gathered here, and so I thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI continue to grieve for the myriad of deaths of the present moment that have been brought here by the Minister and members of this House in regard to those that have occurred during the past weeks, months, and year. Auntie Rose, seeing you brings back memories, as well, of your husband and my fatherly figure, Morvin. This one, his boy, continues to mourn for him who has been lost to the void. Elder sibling Che, when I spotted you and the family, memories also went back to the fatherly figure Tahup\u0101rae. And, because of that, I say to you collectively, welcome, come hither to Tahup\u0101rae\u2019s House during his days. Enough in terms of the myriads of deaths regarding this moment, there is only one thing to say to the dead, come forth and go! \u201CNurture a life force that is well in a natural and enlightened world, behold the breath of life!\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EMy esteemed ones, I will bring the statements of the contribution back to the enduring world here. I acknowledge you collectively, the people in the Grand Hall of Parliament who were not able to find a seat in the gallery. And so to those of you seated around the walls of our House today, I acknowledge and thank you collectively. My paramount chief, my senior member Kelvin there, mentioned a story about Tarakuk\u016B when he lived at the T\u0101peka settlement in the Bay of Islands. Thread in the authority of your ancestor Te Iwikau into the debate in this House today, and so, to my high chief, I acknowledge you and you collectively, my appreciation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EAnd now I turn to you, the House of P\u014Dtatau. I spot you sister cousin, and huge acknowledgments fly in your direction. Your tribe and House clearly demonstrated the validity of the Waikato River against that of the Whanganui River, for which I commend and congratulate you collectively.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI have heard of the name Dame Tariana. At this moment Dame, auntie, it is on my back and I am very delighted that you have crossed over to this side of the House! And so I really pay a tribute to you, the former member of our House, the bearer of policies relating to your home but at the same time of the nation at large, I thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003ETurning to the English side, to you, the Mayor of Wanganui, Hamish, I saw your face at the National M\u0101ori Performing Arts Festival, and now that this day has arrived I am extending a greeting to you. You are the embodiment of a larger part and of a greater part of the words of this bill. Do not leave the administrative body of the river to just the tribes and subtribes alone; Europeans, that partner of the Treaty of Waitangi which was mandated in 1840, are still there. And so I acknowledge you, Mr Mayor, greetings.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI turn to this bill. In the third reading it is right that this person must kill lice, must critically discern comments and policy things inside this bill. I saw an error in the M\u0101ori language in the first line, and here it is: \u201CKua \u0101ta tirohia e Te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take M\u0101ori Te Pire a Te Awa Tupua\u201D. According to its convention, these words must be the same as those in the recommendation, namely \u201CTe Pire o Te Awa Tupua\u201D. And so I will leave that thought for the House to address in due course. Without a doubt, it will be seen widely and have many comments, goodness knows! But I will leave that for the officials to deal with.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EWell, some comments have emerged about the monsters relating to the Act. One such is the RMA, as it is referred to by the country at large. The comment by the co-leader of the Green Party is right, in that we must discuss the legality of this bill and act in the courts of this county. We will see in time whether the comments in this bill will be effective and secure outcomes. Perhaps some other monster RMA will undermine, flood, or smother the comments of this bill, we will see in time what will come of it. We will see in time!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003ETherefore, the cry to the tribe seated about: be awake, alert, and vigilant. Do not mistakenly assume that the journey of this proposal has ended\u2014no, no, no, it has not! The desire, elder sibling Che, is that in the many years that are before us, songs and posture dances relating to this matter from its advent right up to this moment in time will be seen on the stage of the National M\u0101ori Performing Arts Festival, where M\u0101oridom flocked to in the weeks just gone by; that the conversation for this bill and the aspirations of this generation and for those to come will remain alive! Therefore, that is the big challenge before us, the M\u0101ori people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EYou have carefully demonstrated the integrity of the Whanganui River to us. That is a particular challenge indeed to mine of the Far North! The House has spoken about the life-giving waters of the Far North, Hokianga, and of Taum\u0101rere. To the Minister, the honourable Christopher Finlayson, I leave that thought for you to ponder over. In time you will speak to the leaders of Ng\u0101puhi and of the Far North. The hope is that we do not forget the spiritual guardian of Rangiriri within me of Taum\u0101rere River in the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EPeople, the bell has rung! And so to summarise and to end the contribution of the House about the bill, I commend you collectively. The hope is that that unseen place will look after you as you return to your homes throughout. You need to be mindful of the fact that this morning we began with Te P\u0101kau of Heretaunga in regard to the matter concerning the Wairoa tribes. After the first reading of that bill, we climbed the sacred mountain of Tongariro and into Te Pito of Te Whenua. We looked at Te P\u0101kau of Te Tai Hau\u0101uru and the river of Whanganui flowing by, and so to us assembled here together, my parents and leaders, salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively, and my appreciation to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022 data-id=\u002208487be5ef2047cca0730ec189d42598\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002208487be5ef2047cca0730ec189d42598\u0022\u003EHon CHESTER BORROWS (National\u2014Whanganui):\u003C/span\u003E This morning we have prepared a number of whakatauk\u012B, people have made a number of references, and here is another one: give him an inch and he will take a mile. It was suggested by my whip that no one would complain if I broke the convention and took the last speech, so here goes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EI wanted to take this opportunity to look up to the gallery, at these people from Whanganui and along the awa, and to acknowledge that it is a privilege to continue walking alongside you. Many people talk about members of Parliament who come to Parliament from their electorates and gradually fall under the influence of this place, forget where they have come from, and forget about the influence in respect of their electorates. My experience has been totally counter to that. I have found that the influence of you people, the influence of people from Whanganui, has had a greater and greater impact on me personally in my renaissance as a P\u0101keh\u0101 New Zealander, and bears more influence on the House as that influence has grown.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EOne of the things that has become obvious to me, and it has been mentioned this morning, is that the river is fundamental to the health of Whanganui, and it is testament to our environment and the health of us as a nation. The health of our environment means that we will have a healthy nation. You cannot have an economy without an environment, particularly in this country, and we should never get that order back to front.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EMy friend Marama talked about talking to the river and not about the river. I think that what we have learnt from the theme of dealing with the environment and our own health is that we should never take things for granted. On a number of occasions I have canoed on the Whanganui River. Just when I have been taking the river for granted, it has given me a little flick and I have found myself getting wet. So I no longer do that, in spite of the greenery that I left on the right rock, to appease the taniwha. Nevertheless, that is the way it is. And so it is with people\u2014in the same way, we should not take people for granted. People are not a commodity; people are to be respected, to be represented, to be advocated for, to be loved, and to be cared for. To neglect that is to incur peril upon ourselves.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EI also want to remark on the influence that Whanganui people and Whanganuitanga has had on New Zealand as a whole. If we think back to Waitangi Day and the Rt Hon Bill English\u2019s speech at \u014Cr\u0101kei, he thanked the people for the protest that they had made at what we call Bastion Point, the pou that those people put into the ground, and the influence that the protest movement has had over those intervening years. So it has been with P\u0101kaitore. When we think about where we find ourselves today, I wonder whether we would be here without those experiences at P\u0101kaitore. I am looking up to the gallery, at the crowd and the faces that I never knew previous to those events. I hear people saying\u2014I hear P\u0101keh\u0101 saying\u2014that you have reinvented yourselves into stateswomen and statesmen, and I do not think that that is correct at all. I do not think you have changed a bit; I think that what has changed is us. I think that you have had an influence on us as New Zealanders, and the level of expectation that we now have as to the rights and wrongs of the kawa around tikanga.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EMy son is living in Canada. His mate is a schoolteacher, trying to teach these little Canucks how to play rugby\u2014perish the thought. Part of their education is to learn about the All Blacks, obviously, but also incorporated into that is for the children to understand the haka. My son, who is Samoan, came to me to approach what the protocol is around him talking to Canadian kids about the haka. He never would have done any of that\u2014it would not have entered his mind to even consult on whether or not it was appropriate for him to do it, and, if he was to do it, how he should teach it and who he should acknowledge, etc., etc. So it is with us. To think, Annette and Ken, not long ago we were all arguing about an \u201Ch\u201D, and now it does not have an \u201Cf\u201D-ing thing to do with Whanganui.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge the Hon Chris Finlayson\u2014I have skited about our blood relationship since we discovered it, in the early days of our time here in Parliament\u2014and the esteem that we all hold him in, and I know that you do too. Today we have heard a lot of talk about this very novel approach of according the river a legal personality. I am surprised that I have not seen more of you scratching your heads, just saying: \u201COh yeah, at last.\u201D Here is another whakatauk\u012B: back to the future. The fact is that the river has a personality and has always had a personality. Now it is P\u0101keh\u0101 who are waking up to that realisation. It is no less sensational, though, that it was my cousin who got P\u0101keh\u0101 to understand what you have known all along.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge those\u2014I will not try naming them all, as they have been many times this morning\u2014who have gone before, those people who have made their contributions known, and who are not acknowledged for that fact, and the legacy that they have left with us, not only with you as hap\u016B and iwi and us as the people who live in the location, but with us as a nation of peoples.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EThe future health of the river will be self-evident, as will the future health of the people. So it will be with the strength of this resolution and the acknowledgment of the personality that is Te Awa Tupua. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EBill read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EWaiata\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 12.18 p.m. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id201703147fca21591bd34251bfc1cdb69faf2017000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"