Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill

I move, That the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 23 July 2013 and that the committee have the authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting, except during oral questions, during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House, and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House, despite Standing Orders 188 and 191(1)(b) and (c).

Mā tātou. Koia rā te karanga o Whakaata Māori ki a Aotearoa whānui.

[It is for us. That is the call of the Māori Television Service to New Zealand at large.]

The launch of the Māori Television Service in 2004 was a watershed moment for Māori people and, indeed, all New Zealanders. It transformed the media landscape in this country. It made our language and culture accessible to a broad viewing audience. For Māori it has meant the celebration and normalisation of our language, our tikanga, and our people. I am delighted to celebrate its achievements.

The Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act 2003 established the Māori Television Service. It also specified that a review of the operation and the effectiveness of the Act be undertaken in 2008-09, with a report to Parliament and recommendations for any amendments to the foundation legislation. The review was conducted by an independent panel with expertise in Te Reo Māori, the television industry, and the broadcasting legislation. The panel members were Tainui Stephens, Hone Edwards and Jane Hūria. Their subsequent report contained 31 recommendations.

The Minister of Finance and I are the responsible Ministers for the Māori Television Service. We worked with Te Pūtahi Paoho, the Māori Television Service Electoral College, to jointly review the recommendations from the independent panel. We did this in 2009-10. Following this, Cabinet approved in principle the Government response to the review in October 2010, including various proposed changes to the foundation legislation subject to targeted consultation with Māori. At the time Cabinet deferred consideration of the four recommendations concerning the composition of Te Pūtahi Paoho, so that this work could be synchronised with some related work streams in the Māori affairs portfolio.

Te Puni Kōkiri undertook targeted consultation hui with Māori in 2010 and in 2011 to discuss the proposed legislative changes. No concerns were raised at these hui about the proposed approach, and the Government subsequently confirmed the proposed legislative changes as a basis for this bill.

There is general agreement that the Māori Television Service does an excellent job with its core business. On that basis we are not proposing major changes to its underlying legislation. We do, however, seek to fine-tune this legislation so that the Māori Television Service is optimally positioned for digital switchover and can continue its strong focus on promoting our language, our culture. Digital switchover is scheduled for completion in December 2013. We intend to enact this bill in 2013 so that the Māori Television Service is ready to go digital.

The bill seeks to make minor changes to the functions of the Māori Television Service to strengthen its focus on Māori language and culture. It will also update arrangements for spectrum management and the contents of Māori Television Service accountability documents. It addresses arrangements for borrowing and investment by the Māori Television Service and also the timeliness of future reviews and other miscellaneous matters.

The bill provides for a transfer of spectrum management rights from the Crown to Te Pūtahi Paoho, and for Te Pūtahi Paoho to issue spectrum licences to the Māori Television Service to meet its current and future broadcasting needs. It is my expectation that Te Pūtahi Paoho will issue a national set of spectrum licences to the Māori Television Service immediately following the passage of this bill, to cover a 20-year window. This approach reflects the role of Te Pūtahi Paoho as a kaitiaki of Māori interests in the Māori Television Service. It also provides certainty of tenure for the Māori Television Service about access to the necessary spectrum licences for it to undertake its business. It will also strengthen the relationship between the Māori Television Service and Te Pūtahi Paoho.

The bill also provides for the creation of a deed between the responsible Ministers and Te Pūtahi Paoho to set up the terms and condition under which Te Pūtahi Paoho must exercise the spectrum management rights. These terms and conditions will address implementation requirements, specific provisions about support for the Māori Television Service, and the promotion of the Māori language and culture, and circumstances under which Te Pūtahi Paoho would be required to return the spectrum management rights to the Crown. This approach provides some flexibility for the Crown and Te Pūtahi Paoho to manage, amend, and update operational arrangements for spectrum management on an ongoing basis without requiring further legislative change.

It is my intention to refer the draft deed that has been prepared to the Māori Affairs Committee to inform its consideration of this bill. Following that, Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will work on behalf of the responsible Ministers to finalise the deed with Te Pūtahi Paoho.

As I have noted, Cabinet has deferred consideration of the issues regarding the composition of Te Pūtahi Paoho. This is a serious matter and it will require significant engagement with Māori. I am keen to ensure that any work to consider the composition of Te Pūtahi Paoho is synchronised with related work streams in Vote Māori Affairs. On this basis, I intend to report back to the House with my proposed approach to this matter at an appropriate time.

It is important that this bill progress through the legislative process in a timely manner. There are a number of spectrum-related transitional arrangements that need to occur, once this bill has been enacted, to position the Māori Television Service for digital switch-over. For this reason, I ask that the motion be agreed—that this bill be reported back to the House by 23 July 2013.

I would like to briefly acknowledge the efforts of all those who have worked to bring Te Reo Māori into our homes through television. E ōku rangatira, tēnei ka mihi atu ki a koutou, arā, ki ā koutou mahi nunui hei painga mō Te Reo, mō ngā mokopuna, mō ngā iwi whānui. Tīhei mauri ora.

[To my revered leaders, I acknowledge you collectively, particularly your outstanding contributions, which the language, grandchildren, and people at large will benefit from. Behold the breath of life.]

As I have noted, the Māori Television Service has taken our language and culture to a broad viewing audience. It plays a major role in promoting our unique heritage and identity to Māori and non-Māori viewers through its outstanding annual coverage of things such as Anzac Day, to its free-to-air coverage of the Rugby World Cup 2011, and through its presentation on everyday joys, tribulations, and triumphs of Māori and other New Zealanders. It is my intention to strengthen the platform for our language and culture through this legislation. I commend this bill to the House.

Kia ora anō tātau. Māku tēnei kōrero e tuku ki Te Reo Māori tā te mea, e kōrero ana tātau mō te waka i whakaritea ai hei pāho i tō tātau Reo Māori. Māna e hāpai, māna e hiki, māna e waha i ngā take tōrangapū, take hāpori, take pākihi hei mātakitaki mai mā te marea whānui, mai i ngā kōkorutanga katoa o Aotearoa.

Ko tāku ki a koe e Pita, pai kē me tuku e tāua, a tāua e mōhio ana ki tō tāua Reo, i ō tāua kōrero, ō tāua whakaaro ki tō tātau Reo, hei tirohanga mai mā ā tātau tamariki. Oti i a tāua te kōrero i tō tāua Reo mō tēnei take. Me i kore Te Reo Māori kua kore he pakanga me tū te paoho Māori.

Tā tēnei pire, ka nui noa atu ōku āwangawanga ēngari i a mātau, ko te tautoko kia whakawhitingia atu ki te komiti uiui. Tuarua, ka nui noa atu tō mātau pōuri te korenga o tēnei Kāwanatanga e pai ki te manaaki i te tono o te iwi Māori mō ngā iarere hōu, e karangahia nei ko te 4G. Me te mea nei ki te kāhore mātau, a tātau rā o Te Ao Māori e haere ake ki te pakanga i tēneki take ki te aroaro o te Taraipiunara, e kore ngā taringa o tēnā wahine a Amy Adams, e rata mai ki ngā īnoi o Te Ao Māori.

Tuatoru, e tatari ana mātau kia rongo āhea noa atu ō tātau nei waerehe, ō tātau reo irirangi Māori e manaakitia ai. E rapu ana rātau me pēhea rānei ngā moemoeā, me pēhea rānei ngā teihana e whakakahangia ai ngā moemoeā e whakapuangia ai, mēnā kāhore he moni tua atu i ngā kongakonga noa iho nei ka kitea. Nā ko tāku ki te Minita me whakapaua e koe tō kaha ki te manaaki i te hia noa atu o ngā tono mai i ō tātau reo irirangi. E kore—kāhore. Tokomaha noa atu te hunga e tika ana me mau kōrero mai ai ki te aroaro o te komiti uiui. Ēngari ko tāku ki te Whare, ko tētahi wāhanga horekau mātau e whakaae ana, otirā, waiho mā te roanga ake o ngā tāpaeranga kōrero kātahi ka tino whakatatūngia ka pēhea rānei tō mātau tū, ko te kararehe e kīia nei ko Te Pūtahi Paoho. A mātau e kūare ana ki te tino whakapapa o tēnei rōpū, mēnā e tika ana māna e whiwhi i ngā iarere hōu, me kī, kātahi ka tupu ake pea he raruraru i waenga tonu i Te Pūtahi Paoho me te Teihana Māori.

Nā, pai kē atu me whai tonu te Whare i te tauira i whakaritea ai e Parekura Horomia me ōna hoa i te wā i a rātau e mana ana hei Kāwanatanga kia whakawhiwhingia rawatia atu ngā iarere ki te Teihana Māori ake. Otirā mā te roanga ake o ngā tāpaeranga kōrero kātahi tēnā take ka whāwhātia rawatia. Te āhua nei, ka nui noa atu te ngākaunui o te marea kia tū ai te paoho Māori, kia tū ai tēnei Teihana Māori ēngari, me mōhio tātau Te Ao Māori. Ki te kāhore tātau e whakamahi i tēnei taonga, ki te kāhore tātau e akiaki i ngā kairīpoata, i ngā kairangahau, i ngā tumuaki o tō tātau waka Māori paoho, e kore rawa atu e eke rawa.

Arā noa atu ō tātau hoa Pākehā e manaaki mai ana i te kaupapa neki, arā, te waka Māori tā te mea he korenga nō ngā teihana tauiwi, ngā teihana auraki e tino whakaputa, whakaatu kōrero rānei e rite ana ki tā rātau e hiahia ai. Arā ngā kōrero hāpori, ngā kōrero mō ngā take horekau e tino kōrerotia whānuitia ana i roto i te tumunga me te paringa o ngā mahi ia rā, ia rā. Nā reira, e mihi atu ki a rātau e mahi ana i ngā pakipūmeka pērā. Nā reira tukua, kia puta tēneki pire, kia takoto ki roto i te komiti uiui, otirā me mōhio te Whare, me mōhio Te Pūtahi Paoho, me mōhio te hunga ahakoa pēhea te mātotoru, te itiiti rānei e mātakitaki mai ana, kāhore anō mātau kia whakaae atu, kia whakamanangia Te Pūtahi Paoho, ka puta tētahi kararehe hōu. Ko wai rānei mātau e mōhio ana, kei a wai rānei te mana, he hutihuti ngā retireti mō te hunga kei runga i tēnā rōpū? Nā, hei te roanga ake o ngā tāpaeranga, kātahi ka mōhiotia ko wai pū ngā tāngata e whai mana ana hei whakahaere ana i tēnā rōpū, hei pupuru i tēnei taonga hōu. Me te mōhio o tēnei taonga, ehara i te mea ka pau te whānuitanga o te taonga nei i roto i te Teihana Māori anakenake. Arā noa atu ngā huarahi, eke atu pea i te waru, te iwa, te tekau ngā huarahi ka whakawāteangia hei whakapāoho, hei whakaatu pikitia ā te wā. Nā reira, mēnā horekau e ’hakamahingia ana te katoa o te Teihana Māori kia waihotia ki Te Pūtahi Paoho. Ko wai rānei ka mōhio, ka pēheatia, ka ahatia e rātau ēnei taonga e toe ana? Otirā, mā te wā e titiro hai te roanga ake o ngā tāpaeranga kōrero.

Nā reira, mātau, tautoko ana kia whakawhitingia te pire ki te komiti uiui, nā mā te wā e titiro pēnā whakatūturungia e mātau ngā kōrero ō roto. Kia ora tātau katoa.

[Greetings once again to us all. I will speak in Māori because we are talking about the vehicle that has been determined will broadcast our Māori language. It will enhance, elevate, and convey issues of a political, community, and business nature for the public to watch from every cove in New Zealand.

From me to you, Pita, it is better that we express what we know about our language, talk, and thoughts in Māori as we are both fluent in it and in the language of every tribe, so that our children can bear witness to our conversation. It is possible for you and me to deal with this issue in Māori. Without the Māori language there would not be any conflict in regards to Māori broadcasting remaining.

As far as this bill is concerned, I have many concerns, but we endorse it being sent to the select committee. Secondly, we are greatly disappointed at the lack of support by this Government for an application by the Māori people for a new spectrum called 4G. Had it not been for us of Māoridom taking this conflict before the Waitangi Tribunal, the ears of Amy Adams would not have become receptive to the pleas of Māoridom.

Thirdly, we are waiting to hear when our radios and television service will receive support. They are seeking how aspirations may be fulfilled, how stations can have greater capacity and productivity if no further funding can be found beyond the mere pittance allocated. My plea to you, Minister, is that you must work harder to support the numerous requests from our radio stations. There has not been any—none at all. There are many, many others who have a right to appear before a select committee to air their views. But my concern to the House is that beast referred to as the Māori Television Electoral College, which is a part that we absolutely oppose but are prepared to wait until a greater number of submissions are received about it before determining our position. We are completely ignorant about the genesis of this organisation, whether it should receive the new spectrums, and, let us say, whether a friction may well up between the Māori Television Electoral College and the Māori Television Service.

It would be better by far for the House to follow the example considered by Parekura Horomia and his colleagues, at the time they were in the Government, where spectrums can be transferred directly to the Māori Television Service. Indeed, the great number of submissions received will ensure that the detail to that matter is dealt with at that stage of the process. It appears that the commitment by the public about the Māori Television Electoral College established is a big one, which in turn will make Māori Television more functional. But we of Māoridom must be kept informed. If we do not use this spectrum and encourage the reporters, researchers, and heads of our Māori broadcasting vehicle, Māori Television will never succeed.

We have a very large number of our Pākehā colleagues supporting this proposal, this Māori vehicle, because there are no non-Māori and mainstream stations that broadcast and televise similar talks in Māori to satisfy their needs. There are community conversations and talks in Māori about matters that are not discussed so broadly and extensively daily elsewhere. And so I commend those who make documentaries like that. Therefore release this bill and allow it to go before the select committee. However, the House, the Māori Television Electoral College, and everybody else must understand that no matter how dense or sparse the audience, we have not yet agreed to validate the Māori Television Electoral College or whether a new beast will emerge. How are we to know who has the mandate, as it would be difficult because of those who make up that group? Until an extensive submission process is over, it is only then that the right people with the mandate to administer the organisation and hold this new spectrum will be identified. If the majority of Māori Television’s spectrum left to the Māori Television Electoral College is not used up, who will know what will be done to them? There are many other avenues—up to eight, nine, or 10 perhaps will be made available in the future for broadcasting and television. Time, indeed, after an extensive submission process will deal with this.

So for us, we support this bill going to the select committee. Time, as well, will determine whether we validate its contents. Salutations to us all.]

What a beautiful language the Māori language is. I thank the Hon Shane Jones for his contribution. I am sorry that I struggled to follow what he was saying, though, but one day I might become enlightened.

I am pleased to speak very briefly in support of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. I hope my pronunciation was correct there. It has been about 10 years since Māori Television’s empowering Act was passed by this Parliament, and I think New Zealanders can be quite proud of the Māori Television Service we have in New Zealand. In fact, those of us who do not typically watch Māori Television but do tune in to the odd individual programme can see good programmes like Native Affairs, and good programmes like the Anzac Day celebrations that were covered by Māori Television, and see the quality of the work that Māori Television is doing. We can see that, actually, it is contributing to a certain sector of the broadcast community and to a certain population out there that is looking for some indigenous service and a service that is able to promote, keep current, and inform New Zealanders about Māori language and about the need and importance for New Zealand as a country to continue to promote, recognise, and keep alive the Māori language, the first language of this country. Māori Television does provide that role and I think does a good job of it.

However, there was a review recently that undertook to look at some options and look at the effectiveness of Māori Television. Some recommendations were made about how the effectiveness of Māori Television could be improved. This bill is about putting in place some legislative changes to help Māori Television fulfil the recommendations that were proposed as part of that review. Some of the changes in this bill include some provisions around the target audiences that Māori Television should be targeting, and it contains some provisions around how Māori Television should be looking after and focusing its particular services on Māori language. It also has some changes that would aid Māori Television as we come to the spectrum change, and provides for some responsibilities that the Crown has to fulfil around spectrum change and what it needs to do to help Māori Television through that transition.

Māori Television is a world-class service that we are proud of. It has been in operation for 10 years now. These are some simple but important changes to help it be even more effective in promoting Māori language. I thank the Minister of Māori Affairs, Pita Sharples, for bringing this bill to the House.

Labour, as my colleague Shane Jones has indicated, is supportive of this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill, progressing to the Māori Affairs Committee. There are still some reservations and some things to work through, but, given the history of this matter, the active involvement of the Labour Party right from the beginning, and the leading role the Labour Party has taken around Māori language, we, of course, are very happy to entertain the discussion.

I think, without wanting to bring up governorship and leadership too much with my very old friend Dr Sharples, there is some work that needs to be done, because some of the 13 organisations no longer exist. When you have an out-of-date governance system, that will presumably have to be fixed up as part of this process. But I think the vast majority of New Zealanders now accept that Māori Television is doing a superb job. My view is that it is the pre-eminent public broadcaster and the best of the free-to-air channels. I think in recent times we have seen a little bit more from TV3, even. One of its programmes last night that looked into the Tūhoe area was something that I thought was pretty much groundbreaking for mainstream television, and that is a good thing. I think the fact that Māori Television has been going so well puts the pressure on the more mainstream providers to, in fact, deliver in that area. I am pleased that that is beginning to work with TV3.

My only regret is that the State-owned Television New Zealand, both Television One and TV2, seems to be going down to the depths. I could probably say this for Clare Curran—Clare Curran is not in the House—but I do not know why we own it any more. It is just absolutely hopeless as a provider of good public service television. I think maybe we could transpose the management. If we put the management of the Māori Television Service in there, maybe that might make a difference and we would have good television, rather than a bloated bureaucracy. Thank you.

I too just want to take a short call on the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. I think it is well overdue that the recommendations from the review of the Māori Television Service come to the House, and I am looking forward to the select committee process, where the Māori Affairs Committee looks at these changes and gets reflections and submissions from those who are interested. Certainly it is necessary that the shift to digital is made as easy as possible for the Māori Television Service.

I would just say that the Māori Television Service is a fantastic television station. I agree that it is the best public broadcaster we have of the television stations, and I think that is a view that is held by most New Zealanders. I would reflect that this was one of the first pieces of legislation I dealt with as a new member of Parliament 10 years ago, working with the then Minister, Parekura Horomia, on passing the legislation through. At that time it was only the Labour Party and the Green Party that supported the bill to set up the Māori Television Service—if we might remember back to those dark old days when there was so much less commitment to the Reo by other parties in this House and so much less commitment to the expression of Māori voices about their own lives.

One of the most fantastic things about Māori Television is that it has brought Māori stories to the mainstream. There is a great Pākehā audience for Māori Television, because these stories, these Māori stories, that are told every day are stories of our own country. They are stories of New Zealand. That is what we see reflected in the Māori Television programming and commitment. I am very pleased to see the increasing commitment to the Reo, because I know that it is driving people towards the Reo and making it more understandable and easier for people to accept that we are a bilingual country and that the Reo is an official language of this country and therefore deserving of all respect and effort in its preservation—not just its preservation but its continuation, growth, and life well after we are gone. We want to make sure that the Reo remains as much a part of Aotearoa as the land, the soil, and the water do—that it is part of the lifeblood of this country, of which the Māori Television Service is a crucial part. I am looking forward to hearing more about the provisions of this bill and how to develop that better.

I think it is worthwhile noting Trevor Mallard’s discussion about how other TV stations are having to step up in order to meet the challenge that the Māori Television Service presented. Native Affairs won an award for best current affairs last year, I understand. Other TV stations are having to step up to meet the challenge that is being provided—

Hon Trevor Mallard: To be fair, it wasn’t a high test.

METIRIA TUREI: Trevor Mallard is saying it was not—

Hon Trevor Mallard: The competition wasn’t strong.

METIRIA TUREI: He is saying the competition was not strong. But the Māori Television Service is brilliant, and it won because it is brilliant, and, because of that, other TV stations are having to step up the mark. New Zealanders do want to hear current affairs, they do want to hear their own stories, and that is where the Māori Television Service—Māori Television—is leading the way. So all power to Māori Television, and we look forward to dealing with this legislation in the select committee.

I feel very pleased to see the cross-party support for this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. I feel that we do not have to spend a long time speaking about this. I support this bill and I would like to send my regards to the Minister of Māori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples, for bringing this bill to the House. I support it.

New Zealand First is supporting the referral of this Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill to the select committee, for good reason. There is a case for the careful consideration of its provisions. It merits closer consideration, because a thriving and open media is fundamental to a successful democracy. Indeed, in a modern democracy the media play a pivotal part in ensuring the public are informed and not misinformed. It is no exaggeration to say that our society is shaped by the media, and particularly broadcast media. We do need a variety of channels for broadcasting, channels that will reflect our society and allow the open expression of views and perspectives. What would not be healthy is the concentration of media power and influence in a few, narrowly controlled distribution channels.

In general, we believe that there is an argument for having a viable and thriving Māori Television Service, provided, of course, that it is fulfilling the obligations of its charter—a service that all New Zealanders can access and derive information and entertainment from. Indeed, given the lamentable, sad overall state of public broadcasting in New Zealand, in a sense Māori Television, because it has been significantly funded for various reasons while the others have not, for reasons that are inexplicable, has become a de facto public broadcasting service.

New Zealanders who believe in a public broadcasting system must wonder how this state of affairs was reached, because effectively there is now no proper public broadcasting service in our country. That makes us unique amongst modern democracies. No public broadcasting service in New Zealand—there is no public broadcasting service that seeks to be the voice of an emerging New Zealand culture, which probably explains that although you have got all sorts of people pushing all sorts of attributes of where we are going, there is no New Zealand culture that is being promoted by a broadcasting service funded by the New Zealand taxpayers. Other countries do it—Australia, the UK, Canada. Here: nothing.

To some extent, Māori Television is filling that gap. The Māori Television Service had a primary role to do with the future of the Māori language, because it was argued that no other service was fulfilling this role. Te Reo must be a living language. That means it must be readily accessible, and that means in broadcast media. As has been the case with the survival of the Welsh language, it is important that the language is seen to be relevant in an everyday media sense. For that reason, it was seen that, for Te Reo, the support of Māori Television was critical for its survival.

The proponents behind this legislation argue that the bill will give the service a more explicit mandate to protect and promote the Māori language. That needs to be reflected upon—it will give the service a more explicit mandate to protect and promote the Māori language. Well, 10 years ago, what was that about? That is what every discussion in this House and behind the proposal said.

The bill is wide ranging and covers a comprehensive set of values and issues, including the functions of the service, the management of the UHF spectrum, accountability of documents, borrowing and investment, and future reviews.

The former Minister of Broadcasting Maurice Williamson should listen to this, because I remember well when he was the broadcasting Minister, dishing out Māori broadcasting licences all around this country, and the question was never asked: “But who is listening to these Māori radio stations?”. Minister Williamson remembers this very well.

Hon Maurice Williamson: Yes, I do. You came with me to a number of the marae.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Yeah, I came on the road, and I could not believe what I was seeing. For example, up there in the forests of Northland was an outfit picking up about $385,000—

Hon Maurice Williamson: Radio Tautoko.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: —that is right, $385,000—and there apparently was not any audience at all, apart from mum and dad and the cousins down the road. That is the kind of shambles that Mr Williamson allowed to happen. So why he is talking during this important speech, I do not know. Then, of course, he went off and he made a colleague of his a multimillionaire.

Hon Maurice Williamson: Which one?

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Mr Steven Joyce. He gave out licences under a Vickrey sale process—a Vickrey sale process. I want to remind everybody listening that this is the kind of money that has gone into this. The Vickrey sale process goes like this. Up comes this item for purchase. Mr Williamson is heading the sale. A bids $1 million, B bids $100,000, and C bids $50,000. A gets the tender—

Hon Maurice Williamson: We could have a royal inquiry.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: —well, it deserves an inquiry, all right, but not, I think, from that member—because A bid $1 million, but he does not pay $1 million; he pays what the second guy, B, bid. He pays $100,000. Now every morning, and five times a day, Mr Joyce gets up and he points his face towards Pakuranga. He gets down on his knees and he prays to the Mecca of Pakuranga who made him a multimillionaire, and then he walks into the House and calls himself a self-made man.

You know, this has appeared in such books as The Undercover Economist, a famous economics book out of London. It mentioned the shambles of New Zealand’s broadcasting service, which was presided over by the man who is not paying enough attention to this speech, as you are up there—but he is not, because he knows better!

We think it is appropriate that all the areas set out in the bill should be given due, full consideration. In particular, we support the provision that the bill allows for future reviews of the operation, etc.

Let me say one thing—

Hon Maurice Williamson: This member used to be good.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh no, the best is yet to come. New Zealand First has always viewed Māori Television as one alternative amongst a number available for the improvement of Māori economic and social performance. It is one alternative of expenditure. We have never viewed it in an uncritical, politically correct way. We have, in short, never been sickly white liberals who say: “Oh, we are too scared to confront what’s there, and we’ll just dish out the family largesse.” For example, for the expenditure—

Hon Maurice Williamson: That’s a phrase from the past—“sickly white liberal”.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Listen to this—listen to this. For example, for the expenditure and the money that has thus far been spent on Māori Television, every Māori family in New Zealand could have been housed. That is an alternative. For the money, the $67 million or $70 million a year, every year, spent on Māori Television in these last 10 years, we could have housed every Māori family.

For example, there was no justification for Māori Television bidding for TV coverage at the last Rugby World Cup. We ended up with five television stations covering the Rugby World Cup. What was that about? It is just a misuse of money.

Hon Dr Pita Sharples: Enterprise.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh, enterprise? The Minister of Māori Affairs says it was enterprise. No, it was not enterprise at all; it was nationalism spent in the guise of the taxpayers’ largesse when there was no justification at all, because most Māori I know—and they watch a darned sight more rugby than most people in this place do—all watched it on nationwide TV or Sky. No, Māori Television bid millions of dollars and got the bid, and it was a waste of money.

Hon Maurice Williamson: This member used to be young.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: This is just one alternative area—yeah, the fact is the great thing about being around Maurice Williamson is that you will always look young. If you move around Maurice and talk to him, you will always feel young and look young by comparison. This is just one alternative area of expenditure with a uniquely important or critical need for consideration.

I want to say this, too. In all fairness, in the last election Māori Television was by far the most balanced and fair presenter of the issues and the political parties. There is no doubt about that, so I give it full commendation for that. Then when it came to the Gallipoli commemorations, it was streets ahead of anybody else. So I give credit where credit is due. It is in these things that we seek Māori Television to be focused; as it should be right now on the question of enrolment at census time—which is too late; it has gone by—but on the future enrolment, whether it is going to be for the Māori seats or otherwise. So, in short, stick to the things it should be sticking to.

We believe there is likely to be keen public interest in the bill and would encourage public submissions, but we are mindful that this is not the time for a blank cheque. Whatever Māori Television does deliver, it must deliver value for money. If Māori Television is doing its job, it will deliver on its charter and it will deliver content that is relevant and appealing to a wide audience across the entire spectrum of New Zealand. If it does that, it can escape some of the political correctness that so far has confused so many people about the engagement of this service and it can get on and do its job properly—first of all for the country, but, in particular, for Māori and the Māori language.

I applaud the fact that this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill, will enhance the dissemination of the Māori language, and I support it.

Te Kaiwhakahaere, tēnā koe. Ki a koe e te Minita Māori e Pita, ka nui te mihi. Te pai hoki o te haere kaha o te Pouaka Whakaata Māori, kei te ora hoki. Me whakahoki ōku whakaaro ki te tīmata. He nui atu te wehewehe i roto i te māhunga o wētahi o te Whare nei. Takariri atu wētahi mō te puta a tēnei taputapu e mau pai atu. Te mea pai i te wā nei e kite atu tātau, te kaha rawa te pōuri e manaaki atu ngā kanohi Māori mai i te motu. Kore hoki atu mō ngā kanohi Māori anake. E nui atu rātau o tērā piri, e mau whatu ki te āhua nei. Nō reira, tēnā anō taku whakaaro nā te mea hoki e tae atu, e kite atu tātau te kaha i roto i a rātau hei tū, hei manaaki atu te āhua o ngā rā o ngā hōia, te rā o Waitangi, Matatini—tērā tino mahi hakahaka, ngā take katoa pērā tonu e haere atu i runga i te motu, e kite atu te nui o ngā kura, ngā kōhanga e manaaki atu, e mau ana ngā kupu me ngā whana o te Pouaka Whakaata Māori.

He tino rekareka atu te kite atu te oratiatanga i roto i a rātau, ngā kaiwhakahaere pērā i a Jim mā, e manaaki e tautokotia atu tēnei tino take. E tautokotia atu au i ngā whakaaro e pōhēhē haere ngā teihana ētahi me TV3. E wero atu tōku tuakana a Shane mō rātau, nā te mea i roto i āku kei te tū pakari atu tēnei teihana. Nō reira tērā anō te mea i roto i a tātau. E pai ana e ora ana.

Kite atu au i Wisconsin, i Montreal, ngā teihana pēnei tonu e mahi atu te mahi pēnei tonu. Nā te pai hoki, he taputapu, he pouaka whakaata, he mahi paoho a tātau o te tangata whenua. Tērā anō te pai nō reira ki a koe, kia kaha kia māia. Kaua koe e manaaki atu rātau e pīrangi tangohia atu te whakaaea, te kore whakaaea o te pouaka whakaata i roto tō rātau tari. Kei runga anō wētahi o ngā mahi nanakia e tika atu e waihotia atu i te tari o te Minita Māori.

Nō reira i roto i a wērā whakaaro, e mihi kau ana ki te Pouaka Whakaata Māori, e mihi kau ana ki ngā kaimahi, e mau tūturu atu tō tātau Reo, tō tātau āhua Māori i runga ngā—ahakoa ngā piki ngā heke. I reira kē rātau e whawhai tonu atu mō te ora o tō tātau Reo, hei mau kite atu ngā whatu mō rātau e kore e tae ki Waitangi, ki te rā o ngā hōia, ki Matatini, ngā hui nui pērā tonu. Kāre hoki atu mō ngā hui kaitā anake. He nui atu ngā huihuinga me ngā take e pā ana ki te pai o tātau o Aotearoa engari mō te tangata whenua tērā anō te tīmata. Tēnā koe, e te Kaiwhakahaere.

[Greetings to you, Mr Speaker. A huge one to you, Pita, Minister of Māori Affairs. The Māori Television Service is really going strong. It is alive as well. Let me take my thoughts back to the beginning. There was much division in the minds of some in this House. Some were irate over the delivery of this service and the benefits it had to offer. The great thing we see at the moment is the extreme disappointment at the support accorded to Māori audiences out in the country. But it was not just them alone. There are many of them in that situation who wanted to see this service. However, that is my perception, because we were there and witnessed how resolute they were as they stood and supported what the army days, Waitangi Day, and Matatini were about—that great cultural arts festival, and everything like that going out to the nation, being seen by the many schools and many Māori preschool language nests that, in turn, support and hang on every word and action by the Māori Television Service.

It is an absolute pleasure to see how well they the operators like Jim and others are caring and supporting this great initiative. I endorse the growing doubts that some channels and TV3 have. My senior colleague Shane has a challenge for them because there is a feeling within me and us that this station is well established. It is well, and it is alive.

I note in Wisconsin and Montreal channels very much like these are operating in the same manner. It is great as well as it is a facility, a television service, and we the Māori of the country are into the field of broadcasting. And that is the great thing about it. That aside, one has to be strong and confident. Do not support those who want to take away the ability to approve or not approve a television service as part of the functions of their departments. The Māori Minister’s department must take some responsibility for some of the strange decisions made about what should be taken out and what should be left in.

So, within the parameters of those thoughts, I really acknowledge the Māori Television Service and staff who have held firm to our language and our Māori perspective, despite the circumstances and the ups and downs. Actually, that is where they were, really, fighting on for the survival of our language, being a face for those who could not make it to Waitangi, the army days, Matatini, and significant gatherings like those. But they were not just there for the major ones. There were several other gatherings and related events about what we of New Zealand are good at, but for us, the Māori of the country, that was just the beginning. Thank you, Mr Speaker.]

I want to acknowledge what is broad cross-party support for this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill, and add my voice of commendation as well.

I call Rino Tirikatene. I understand that this is a split call—5 minutes.

Kia ora. Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. Ā, ki a koe e te Minita, tēnā koe. E tū atu au ki te tautoko i tēnei pire.

[Thank you. Greetings, Mr Assistant Speaker. Greetings to the House collectively. And to you the Minister, greetings. I rise to support this bill.]

I am pleased to speak in support of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. We are having this first reading a week short of Māori Television’s ninth birthday, ninth anniversary, and I think we all—well, definitely all us Māori—remember 28 March 2004 very well, getting up early in the morning and watching the launch of Māori Television. It was an exciting time, and I am pleased to see the progression that Māori Television has taken since its launch back in 2004.

I would like to acknowledge our matua here, the Hon Parekura Horomia, who was the Minister of Māori Affairs at the time, under a Labour Government, who launched that waka of Māori Television. Indeed, it is fair to say that Māori Television is held in deep affection across the country as a public service broadcaster, but also in terms of fulfilling its role to promote and protect our Te Reo Māori. That is where I would like to start, because the whakapapa to Māori Television goes back to the Treaty commitment, the Treaty partnership, between the Crown and Māori that there is an active duty on the Crown to protect and foster Te Reo Māori, and that has given rise to Māori radio, Māori TV, and various other organisations and activities that have sprung up over the years.

Māori Television is definitely a flagship for our language and our culture, and it was timely that under Parekura it was programmed into the bill that there would be a review. That review was carried out and reported back in May 2009. Te Kāhui o Māhutonga—a very capable, highly skilled, and experienced group of three—carried out that review, and it came up with some very good recommendations around the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act. It is regrettable, I guess, that not all of its recommendations were followed through, but I do note that if we go to the actual functions of the service, one aspect of Te Kāhui o Māhutonga’s recommendations that has been adopted has been to further broaden or articulate the Māori Television service to not only promote Te Reo but also to protect and preserve Te Reo, and that has been reflected in the amendments to the bill.

I want to pick up on the part in this bill that transfers the management rights for the spectrum that will allow Māori Television to progress to the digital platform to be vested in Te Pūtahi Paoho. Te Pūtahi Paoho is the electoral college that was set up under the original Act. The vesting of these management rights in that body I think calls into question—and this was raised by Te Kāhui o Māhutonga’s report—that we really need to look at the composition of that Te Pūtahi Paoho body.

We are getting a lot of electoral colleges created these days to get wide representation of Māori stakeholders in terms of their support or their input into appointing directors on to a lot of these Māori structures that have been created. If we look at Māori fisheries, for example, we have Te Kāwai Taumata there. If we look at the Māori Te Huarahi Tika Trust, there is an electoral college there. And also we have this electoral college for Māori Television. But if you look at the actual organisations that make up that body, I think that is where we need to really look, because they have the power to appoint people on to these bodies.

I have been part of a Māori organisation that has a statutory role to actually have to appoint a representative on to these bodies, and I know that a large number of these organisations are barely existing and are very highly under-resourced, so it is a big responsibility to be putting on to a few organisations. I think we really need to look carefully at that, because we want to make sure that Te Pūtahi Paoho is not a waka kēhua, and we do not want kaupoais—cowboys—taking over these organisations. Kia ora tātou.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. The Green Party is pleased and proud to support this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. We think it makes sensible amendments to allow for the continued operation of Māori Television and to equip Māori Television for the digital age. We would like to congratulate Māori Television on the upcoming ninth anniversary of its broadcast, as referred to by the previous speaker, Rino Tirikatene, and commend what I think is a very high-quality broadcaster. Indeed, in the absence of a true public service broadcaster for the country, Māori Television now fills that role for us in New Zealand as our public service broadcaster, and it does an excellent job.

Māori Television is a great expression of the partnership embodied in the Treaty of Waitangi, and a great example of what can be achieved if we think creatively about how to embody that partnership in the modern times. I think, as my co-leader Metiria Turei referred to, it has done great things for the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori, which is, indeed, a treasure for us all and should be as precious to us as our land, our rivers, our mountains, and our precious natural environment. I will finish with a whakataukī. Ko Te Reo te taikura o te whakaaro mārama.

[Language is the key to understanding.]

Kia ora.

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.

I move, That the Māori Affairs Committee report the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill to the House on or before 23 July 2013.

Motion agreed to.