Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries : I move, That the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill be now read a second time. This bill was jointly drafted by the Crown and iwi. It gives effect to a deed of settlement signed on 6 May between the Crown and the iwi of the South Island and Hauraki for an early settlement of the Crown’s pre-commencement aquaculture space obligations in those regions. The settlement will meet the vast majority of the Crown’s pre-commencement space obligations and covers the Hauraki Gulf, Marlborough Sounds, Tasman Bay, and the rest of the South Island. It has required a great deal of collaboration and hard work by both Government officials and iwi, and it is the result of innovative thinking and a desire from both sides to reach a quick settlement that is fair to both parties. The fact that the settlement spans more than half of New Zealand’s coastal area and well over 90 percent of the aquaculture sector is testament to what an achievement it is.

In 1992 the Crown reached a full and final settlement with Māori for all claims under the Treaty of Waitangi relating to New Zealand’s commercial capture fisheries. The Government has an ongoing responsibility to develop policies and programmes to recognise and provide for non-commercial customary fishing. Aquaculture was the unfinished business of that settlement, being the use of New Zealand’s coastal marine space to commercially farm kai moana. The settling of Māori claims to commercial aquaculture between 1992 and 2004 with the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004 is an important element of the relationship between Māori and the Crown. Unfortunately, the transfer of settlement assets to iwi did not happen as anticipated in 2004. As a result of the lack of movement, a way to more effectively deliver the benefits of the settlement to iwi had to be found. The Crown and the iwi of the South Island and Hauraki have worked together and have found the way forward, through early financial settlement and regional agreements.

The Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act does not currently allow for early financial settlement or for regional agreements of the type that the Crown and iwi have negotiated, and that Act needs to be amended. The bill that we have before us tonight will amend the Act and get the settlement assets flowing to iwi. The fair, full, and final settlement of Treaty of Waitangi grievances is a high priority for this Government. I will interpolate and say how delighted I was to be at Te Wai-iti Marae this morning with my parliamentary colleague Mita Ririnui for the signing of the Ngāti Whare deed of settlement. It was a very good day. On Saturday we will be back up in Murupara for the signing of the Ngāti Manawa deed of settlement.

I have written to all remaining iwi around the country in relation to this bill to offer the opportunity for them to have an early financial settlement in their areas. The Ministry of Fisheries, on behalf of the Crown, is currently engaging with those iwi, and there is a possibility that the entire pre-commencement space obligation will be completed well before 2014, which is the date envisaged by the settlement legislation. I note that the iwi of the South Island and Hauraki are willing to lend their support to helping the remaining iwi to accomplish similar settlements to theirs, and I publicly express my thanks to them for their ongoing commitment to this process.

The deed of settlement and this bill epitomise the principle of mahi tahi, which is to work together as one, not only between the Crown and iwi but also between iwi themselves, which is important. It is quite something that all the iwi of the South Island were able to set aside old differences and come together to negotiate a common settlement with the Crown. I particularly acknowledge the initiative of the Te Tau Ihu fisheries forum and its chair, Richard Bradley of Rangītane, during the early stages of the settlement for the South Island. I acknowledge the work of officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and the contribution of the iwi leaders of Te Tau Ihu, Ngāi Tahu, and Hauraki, together with the assistance of Te Ohu Kaimoana and the iwi legal adviser Justine Inns. I particularly thank previous Ministers, including the Hon Parekura Horomia, for their work in seeing the potential to negotiate an early financial settlement across these areas and starting the negotiation process. I also thank the Māori Affairs Committee for the efficient and expeditious manner in which this bill progressed through the select committee, and for the two very useful technical amendments that the committee has recommended. These changes will strengthen the bill and improve its effectiveness and application.

I note the overwhelming support for the deed of settlement and for this bill from iwi, local government, and the aquaculture and seafood industry. I commend the bill, with the technical amendments recommended by the select committee, to the House.

Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti) : Te Kaiwhakahaere o te Whare, tēnā koe. I a koe te Minita, e Hōnore Chris Finlayson, e mihi kau ana nā te mea i roto i a koe, e mōhio atu tātou te tū roaroa atu o te take nei mō te whai atu a ngā iwi mō te āhua nei o te mahi i te takutai moana. Nā te mea, e mōhio atu wētahi o ngā iwi nei e kaha i te mahi kararehe, e manaaki atu i ngā āhua o te whenua. Nā te mahi pēnei tonu i te tuku atu i ngā hua i roto i te moana hei tipu atu, hei tū kaha atu pērā i ngā kararehe. Nā te pai hoki, e mau matatau atu tē nui o ngā iwi nei i te mahi hua takutai moana pēnei tonu. Pērā i a rātou i Te Wai Pounamu, e tino matatau atu ngā Māori ki te mahi pēnei tonu.

Nā te pai hoki, kei te tae tata i te otinga. E mihi kau ana ki te Minita mō tōna kaha. E kī atu wētahi o ngā iwi pērā i a Hone Morgan, pērā i a Fred mā, rātou mā e whai kaha atu, a Harry Mikaere i te mau pukumahi mō te tae pai atu pēnei tōnu. E mōhio atu tātou te wehewehe mai i te tīmata a te take nei engari, e noho pai, e tae tata ana ki te whakakotahi i tērā tino kōrero e kōrerotia atu, tātou a ngāi Māori.

E manaaki atu mō ngā kōrero nei a Richard Bradley me rātou mā ngā tino rangatira pērā i a Toko o te Hauraki, me Matiu Rei rātou mā. E pai ana e kite atu te whakawhitiwhiti pēnei tonu a Hauraki, a Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, a Ngāti Kōata, a Ngāti Kuia, a Ngāti Rārua, a Ngāi Tahu, a Ngāti Tama, a Ngāti Toa, a Rangitāne me Te Āti Awa o te Tau Ihu. E nui atu ngā iwi e tahi atu pēnei tonu. E nui atu ngā iwi e whai tika mō te pai o te rangatahi ākuni ka tipu atu, ka peka ana i runga i te huarahi mō te mahi hou nei.

Ahakoa kāre e hoki atu te mahi nei, he mahi hou mō tātou katoa. Mai rā anō e haere atu ngā koroua, kuia ki te taha o te moana hei tiki, hei mahi atu i te ruku pūpū, te tiki parengo ngā āhuatanga pērā tōnu. Nā te pai hoki o te mahi nei, kei te whakawhitiwhiti, kei te taea hoki tātou a ngāi Māori i roto i a tēnei take. Ahakoa ngā piki, ngā heke mō te take o te takutai moana, tēnei noa wētahi o ngā puta hou e tū atu te ture mō te mau kaha atu a te āhua o te takutai moana. E kī atu tātou, e kaha tātou ki te manaaki i te mau ana o te āhua o te korowai o te kaitiakitanga, ngā kupa pērā tonu mō te mahi nei. I a rātou te tika e whai kaha i te taea ki te kōrero nā te pai e tautokotia atu ngā kaunihera o ngā wāhi rā mō te take nei. Nō reira, e mihi kau ana.

• [An interpretation in English was given to the House.]

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. To the Minister, the Hon Chris Finlayson, I acknowledge you because you know how long it has taken for tribes to be involved in initiatives relating to the foreshore. Now, some tribes are better then others at working with animals and looking after aspects of land; they see stocks in the sea that can be harvested and developed like those on the land. The good thing is that many tribes have the expertise to use the benefits of the foreshore in the same way. Take those in the South Island, where Māori are very skilled at working like this.

The good thing is that the process is nearly completed. I acknowledge the Minister for his efforts, and people like Hone Morgan, Fred and the rest, and Harry Mikaere. They have worked hard to bring about this conclusion. We know that we were divided when this matter began, but things are going well and it is possible now to say that Māoridom is united.

I acknowledge the statements by Richard Bradley and other leading figures like Toko of Hauraki, Matiu Rei, and others. It was good to see interaction like this by Hauraki, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kōata, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Toa, Rangitāne, and Te Āti Awa o te Tau Ihu. There were many tribes who lived together as one like this. There were many tribes who sought to ensure that future generations would gain from the initiatives from this new venture.

While this will not go back, it is a new venture for us all. Our elderly menfolk and womenfolk since the beginning of time have frequented the foreshore to gather and dive for volute univalve molluscs, and to gather things like edible seaweed, as well. Because this work is going so well and there is interaction, we of Māoridom are progressing in this matter. Despite the ups and downs in respect of the foreshore, these are just some of the new outcomes that will make the foreshore sustainable. We can state our ability to protect the foreshore under the mantle of guardianship, and words like that; and we support regional councils as well in this settlement. And so I commend this bill .]

The Labour Party supports the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill, which secures a sustainable future for New Zealand’s aquaculture. Aquaculture is an important and growing activity for the New Zealand economy. I commend the Minister of Fisheries, Phil Heatley, not only for the signing today but for the one on Saturday and the many more that will happen, hopefully, sooner rather than later. We believe that any changes must address the concerns of the fisheries industries, and have to balance economic development, environmental sustainability, Treaty obligations, especially, and community concerns.

This bill is a clear merging of a whole lot of opinions, and most certainly a whole lot of leaders’ keenness to ensure that the business carries on. That they had the foresight to bring this settlement forward by 5 years is something they need to be commended for. It is difficult to get three or four community groups together, it is difficult to get three or four Pākehā groups together, but it is amazing that we have got a dozen iwi to agree together. That they are supported by their local councils is something we could learn from.

I again commend the Minister in charge of the bill for his effort. Labour members will certainly be voting for the second reading of the bill.

Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Fisheries) : It is a delight to see the second reading of the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill moved in this House and positively supported by the speakers. As the Minister of Fisheries I add my voice to that of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and acknowledge the Hon Parekura Horomia for the work that he did over a 12-month period prior to our coming into office. We have seen talks around this settlement begin, and clearly it was a delight for us to take hold of the torch that he carried and to see the process of the settlement finished. We met several months ago at Te Papa with iwi, hapū, and, whānau involved in those negotiations, as well as officials, and we signed the settlement agreement. It was a wonderful privilege for me as a Minister to sign my first Treaty settlement. Again, I thank the Hon Parekura Horomia for beginning that process.

The reality is that we decided on a settlement for Māori way back in 2004 when the aquaculture reforms were passed. As part of that reform, the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act went through the House, giving Māori the opportunity to take hold of 20 percent of pre-commencement space and 20 percent of any new aquaculture areas that were put together following enactment of that legislation in 2004. It was understood that the pre-commencement space settlement would probably be settled by providing water space created through the zoning of aquaculture management areas. In other words, new aquaculture zones would be set aside by local regional councils—that is, water space—and much of that would be passed to Māori as part of the settlement.

Unfortunately, because aquaculture has not progressed the way that we all would like it to, no new aquaculture management areas have been created in the last 4 or 5 years, and therefore there has been no settlement space to pass to Māori. So it was a smart idea, instead of passing over space, to look at a cash settlement. That was a good idea conceived some time ago. Progress was made valuing the potential space, putting a dollar figure on it, and coming to some sort of agreement. That is what happened. It came to a figure of about $97 million, and I think there is a little bit more outstanding for those hapū, whānau, and iwi who have not settled yet. So we are still looking at that settlement, and, as my colleague the Hon Chris Finlayson said, it is progressing well.

I know this is just the second reading but I am enthusiastic to see the Committee stage and the third reading go through reasonably quickly, because Māori have been waiting a long time. We will see by the passing of this legislation a cash settlement to Māori. Hopefully they will use some of those finances to invest in aquaculture. They are not compelled to do so, at all, but perhaps they might invest in aquaculture. We trust that the reforms we are doing in marine farming next year will open up the doors for more marine space in New Zealand’s coastal area. I commend the second reading of this bill, I commend the bill to the House, and I am delighted that so many colleagues from parties on this side, in Government, and across the floor, from the Opposition, are so supportive of this legislation.

DAVID CLENDON (Green) : The Greens are pleased to make a short speech on the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill and to continue to support it through the House.

The 2004 Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act, which this bill seeks to amend, was seen by some as an indication of the Crown’s willingness to deal fairly and even generously with Māori in respect of settling Treaty claims. But it may be more accurate to suggest that the display of generosity has been from Māori, who in accepting Treaty settlements have typically acknowledged the present-day reality and agreed to accept much less than the real value of the assets that were lost over generations of Treaty violations. It is to the credit of the affected iwi in this instance that they have been both diligent and determined in pursuing an equitable outcome to this matter while also being amenable to a negotiated outcome.

As we know, under the provisions of the principal Act Māori were allocated 20 percent of marine aquaculture space as settlement of their claims in this area, the allocation being for marine aquaculture space approved from 1992 to 2004—described as pre-commencement space. Iwi still have the right to 20 percent of all new space created from January 2005. The difficulty has been in providing Māori with that entitlement.

In looking at the reason for that, it is worth considering the issue of coastal management more generally, and worth recalling some of the commentary from relevant articles of Agenda 21, which emerged from the Rio Earth Summit as long ago as 1992. It was noted then that “current approaches to the management of marine and coastal resources have not always proved capable of achieving sustainable development, and coastal resources and the coastal environment are being rapidly degraded and eroded in many parts of the world.” It goes on to say that “Systematic collection of data on marine environmental parameters will be needed to apply integrated management approaches …”. Clearly, that commentary and, indeed, criticism of coastal management generally is applicable in New Zealand some 17 years later, when not too much has changed in terms of the condition of our coastal environment, where the trend is still towards degradation and other negative outcomes. This is despite the undoubted attachment to, and fondness for, the coastal environment so often expressed by New Zealanders of all ethnicities. Sadly, we continue to have a very poor record of stewardship.

Some of the extraordinarily vehement opposition revealed in recent years, both at a Government level and in the public domain more generally, is in regard to Māori asserting any rights to use or management of the coastal resource. It is all the more surprising when one considers what a very poor job successive central and local governments and other interests have done of maintaining the integrity and quality of that resource. Clearly, there have been not only significant political and economic barriers but also scientific barriers to the advancement of aquaculture and to Māori participation in it. Aquaculture is a relatively modern option, and in some ways an inferior option to the natural harvest of seafood, but, clearly, a major economic opportunity exists for all those concerned to meet the requirements and preferences.

New Zealand has been particularly slow to establish useful baseline data for environmental management generally and coastal management in particular, largely due to the fact that the acquisition of good scientific data is hampered by the peculiar quasi-commercial structure of our Crown research institutes. Research into aquaculture done recently by the coastal marine group at Waikato University has observed that inferior site location is one of the most common reasons for the double whammy of aquaculture failure as a business venture and the accompanied adverse environmental effects, and that good new sites in sheltered bays and harbours are becoming increasingly rare, necessitating a move to find optimal sites in open coastal locations. The Waikato research has been useful to the extent that it provides some characteristics enabling computer-based analysis and identification of potential aquaculture sites, but the reality is that it can identify optimal conditions but cannot create more of them. Although the principal Act assures iwi of access to a percentage of all new space, it is important when that allocation is made that issues of quality and viability are not overlooked.

This bill amends the principal Act, enabling the Crown to enter into negotiated regional agreements with relevant iwi, and provides a legal framework for these settlements to be rolled out. Essentially, this enables the Crown to provide cash rather than marine-farming space to Māori in terms of aquaculture settlements. Although this is a positive outcome, it falls some way short of enabling the engagement of iwi as active players in the aquaculture industry. As noted in a number of first reading speeches, the iwi implicated in this bill are mana whenua, so are entrusted with both the rights and the responsibilities that this status entails. Active management of the physical resource would always be a preferred option, given the strong cultural as well as economic significance of kai moana, but the cash payments will, however, certainly provide a range of opportunities to the affected parties. That is an outcome that the Greens will be happy to continue to support. Thank you.

Hon TAU HENARE (National) : I will not take too much of the House’s time tonight.

Hon Shane Jones: Thank goodness!

Hon TAU HENARE: I am just trying to work out which bozo spoke, because they all look the same.

Simon Bridges: Phil Goff’s chief adviser.

Hon TAU HENARE: Yes—well, that brings me to an interesting point. When this bill went through—

Hon Shane Jones: Hāngai ki te kaupapa!

Hon TAU HENARE: I should stick to the kaupapa? Well, that is rich coming from “Richie”—

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy): As a matter of interest, I was just reading some Speakers’ rulings on decorum of the House. I do not think we have started this contribution very well from either side, and I just ask for a better level of decorum.

Hon TAU HENARE: OK. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by the other side—not by the Assistant Speaker—I was saying that this is one of the first bills I have seen go through to select committee without even a hint of dissent from anyone around the table. First of all, I congratulate all members of that pretty good select committee.

Basically, this bill amends the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004. It allows certain iwi to go ahead with what are, in their opinion, some pretty good economic development opportunities that are just around the corner. I am reminded of a song, “What the World Needs Now is Love”. Well, it may well need love, but one of the things it really needs is food. Food is always a constant need around the world, and if iwi can get their hands on a means of production they can be big players in the world. God only knows that there are a couple of billion Chinese people out there wanting food, and one-point-something billion Indian people wanting food, and we have not even touched the other markets in the world. So I think that the opportunity that this bill allows is very, very great.

I did not want to be controversial. It is not my nature to be controversial—

Amy Adams: However—

Hon TAU HENARE: —however, I must say, before I get to the controversial bit, that my colleague from the Green Party, David Clendon, spoke of new ways of doing things. The interesting point is that I have just been looking through some of the research, in terms of an iwi in the North, the Waiariki people, who are based around the Ngunguru-Tutukākā region. There was an application in the 1880s from one of the settlers to have an oyster farm. That was in 1880, so it is not particularly a new idea. Maybe we have come to see it as a new idea, but these ideas have been around for a long, long time around the world. So I make that point of behalf of the Waiariki people.

I will also make a couple more points. We, the National Party, got a pasting from the Opposition on the so-called sweetheart deal in the emissions trading scheme, which basically gave, I suppose, a right to certain iwi, and which opened up—so certain people in this House have said—full and final settlements. Well, if somebody was to really have a look at this bill, they would see that that is exactly what this bill does. It opens up what was a full and final settlement back in 2004, because it suits the purpose. It is because of other things that are happening with legislation that we have needed to do this.

Hon Shane Jones: He wai!

Hon TAU HENARE: Oh, that is right—he wai. In Māoridom, whenever someone calls out that phrase, there are two reasons why. The first reason is that the speech is boring—and I can stump up to that and cop that sort of criticism—but the other reason is that the person does not want to hear the truth.

What I am saying is not too controversial. I just want to remind Phil Goff—and Shane Jones, who is a great supporter of Phil Goff at the moment—that sometimes we have to go back, look at what we have done, and, for the betterment of a settlement and for its longevity, open the purse again to see whether we cannot squeeze some more out of it in order to get that sort of longevity. So I make no bones about this settlement or the emissions trading scheme, because I see them as being the same.

Both are a means to an end. The end to this legislation is the ability of Māori to have an opportunity. The legislation will not solve a whole heap of problems; it will give an opportunity. It is up to those iwi who are part of this settlement to take that opportunity, and not only to take it for themselves but also to enrich the nation in terms of productivity and the earning of the dollars that our country so needs. I absolutely fully support the measures in front of the House tonight. Kia ora.

TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki) : Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker, kia ora tātou katoa. E hoa mā, tātou o te Ao Māori ka pai te rongo ake i te āhuatanga o tō tātou reo e kōrerohia ana i roto i te Whare i te pō nei. Te tikanga, ā te tau hōu, kua puta tō tātou reo i runga i ngā irirangi e rua, nō reira, he pai tonu kia whakamātautau tātou i a tātou anō i roto i ngā kōrero i tēnei pō ā ngā wiki e rua kai mua i te aroaro.

Kei te āhua whakahīhī tonu a te Pāti Māori ki te tū ake ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare Pāremata i tēnei pō ki te tautoko i tēnei pire, te Pire Whakatikatika Whakataunga Kerēme Ahumoana Arumoni Māori (mō ngā Whakaaetanga ā-Rohe). Ka mutu, ko tētahi ingoa e tika ana mō tēnei pire, ko te “Pire Kua Eke ki Tōna Wā”. He pai tonu kia eke ki tēnei wā i te mea, kua roa te Ao Māori e tatari ana kia whakahōnore te Kāwanatanga i tōna kirimana i wānangahia i te tau 2004. Kua eke tēnei pire ki te wā kua whakatakotohia e te Kāwanatanga ki runga i te tēpu tētahi utu, mō te wā kotahi nei, ki a ngāi Māori mō te wāhanga ā-pāmu moana nei kāore i tukuna i ngā tau kua hipa ake. Ka mutu, ko te mahi a te pire he whakatikatika i te Ture Whakatikatika Whakataunga Kerēme Ahumoana Arumoni Māori o te tau 2004. Nō reira, he pai tonu ki a mātou te tautoko i tēnei. Kua roa mātou e akiaki ana, e panapana haere ana i tēnei pire kia eke ki tēnei taumata kia taea ai te pāhi i tēnei pire ki tōna taumata i te pō nei.

Arā anō ētahi paku kōrero o roto i te pire nei, me kōrero au mō ēnei take, tuatahi, ko te whakaaetanga o ngā iwi ki ngā kirimana ā-rohe nā runga i te mea, karekau he whenua hōu hei mea wānanga mā te motu. Ko te mānukanuka nui ko tērā e pā ana, āe, he pai tonu kia tukuna mai ai te moni hei whakatau i te kerēme engari, ko te take tino nui, kāre anō kia oti noa tērā hiahia o te iwi Māori kia whai wāhi anō tātou i roto i ngā mahi pākihi pāmu moana nei. I tukuna te pūtea kotahi nei mai i te Kāwanatanga ki te whakatau i tērā kirimana i ngā tau kua hipa o te tau 2004. I raro i tērā kirimana, i whakaaetia e te Kāwanatanga kia tukuna mai tata ki te 20 pai hēneti o tērā pānga whenua i mua noa atu o te wā, ka mutu, he wāhanga noa ā muri ake, ko tērā 20 pai hēneti anō. Nā, e pēnei i tā Tau Henare i kōrero nei, ko tēnei tētahi pire hei whakatinana, ko ngā kirimana ā-rohe. Ko tāna he whakatau i ngā kerēme o nāia tonu nei i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi mō ngā take e pā ana ki ngā pākihi pāmu moana. Nā reira, ko tā te Kāwanatanga, he whakawhanake i te ture i nāia tonu nei kia pakari tonu te ture mō ngā mea pēnei i te pāmu moana nei.

Nō reira, hei whakakōpani i ngā kōrero, e rua pea ngā take hai whakatakoto ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare Pāremata. Tuatahi, āhua rite ki te Ture Takutai Moana o te tau 2004, ko te tiaki i te āhuatanga o te moana ka mutu, ko te āta titiro anō ki te pānga o te iwi Māori, ngā kaipāmu Māori, ngā mea hī ika i roto i ngā mea takutai moana nei. Nō reira, me mutu āku pea i konei kia taea ai te kī kua eke ki te taumata i te pō nei, ā, ka tukuna atu ki tangata kē. Ko te tikanga ia, anā ka pōtingia ā te pō nei. Kia ora tātau.

• [An interpretation in English was given to the House.]

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and greetings to us all. Colleagues, and indeed those of us of Māoridom, it is good to hear our language being spoken in the House tonight. The situation next year is that our language will be heard simultaneously. So it is good that we test each other tonight and in the 2 weeks ahead.

The Māori Party is proud to stand before the House tonight in support of the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill. And the “It’s About Time Bill” is a more suitable name for it, because Māoridom have waited a long time, since 2004, for the Government to honour it. It is about time for the Government to have come to the table with a one-off payment to Māoridom for aquaculture space for which compensation was never granted in the past. The bill amends the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004. So we are quite comfortable supporting it. We have advocated for a long time that this bill progress to where it is tonight, and be passed.

There are minor aspects of this bill that I must comment on—namely, on the tribes being seemingly in favour of regional agreements because there is no new space for the nation to debate. The great concern is that the use of cash payments as settlement does not resolve the desire by Māori tribes to participate in the aquaculture industry. This one-off payment from the Government settles the agreement reached in 2004 whereby the Government agreed to nearly 20 percent of pre-existing space and 20 percent of future space. As Tau Henare stated, this bill develops regional agreements and settles current claims relating to commercial aquaculture under the Treaty of Waitangi. So the Government is immediately committed to developing a robust regulatory regime for things like aquaculture.

To end this address, there are just two matters to put before the House. Firstly, this bill is quite like the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 in that it protects matters relating to the sea and examines Māori tribal interests, Māori commercial aquaculture, and Māori deep-sea fishing interests. So my contribution ends here. It has achieved what it set out to do tonight. Someone else has the call now. It will be put to the vote tonight, that is for sure. Thank you all .]

Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) : I congratulate the Ministers of the day for advancing the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement (Regional Agreements) Amendment Bill. It is a sad reflection of how entangled the law has become that applicants from either the Māori sector or the general industry sector have been frustrated in securing statutory entitlements to advance aquaculture, so this type of innovation needs to be applauded.

To the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and to the Minister of Fisheries I say that there was a time when Doug Kidd, in an earlier life, identified $2 billion in 1993 as the target that the industry would achieve through the infusion of aquaculture-based earnings; that target still eludes us. But if we can reduce the barriers and expedite the entry both of our own Māori people and also of the industry to higher levels, then it is good for the country. Treaty settlements have to integrate our people into the business of earning real money through participating in industry sectors.

We thoroughly support this initiative and wish the recipients well. We look forward to finding other ways to work constructively with the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations on other Māori issues, in the spirit of reciprocity. Kia ora tātou.

• Bill read a second time.