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 third time. Kai te korero au i Te Reo Māori. Hai Te Māngai, hai Te Whare, tēnei ka mihi mō ngā ekenga o tēnei pire ki tāna pānuitanga tuatorutanga. Ka riro māna e whakanikoniko i te waka nei o Whakaata Māori i roto i ngā tirohanga ō nātatanei. E kite ana kai te pai te hanga o te waka, kai te pakari ngā kaihoe o te waka, kai te ārahi ngā kaiurungi i te waka ki tōna pae tawhiti, arā, ko te oranga o Te Reo Māori tērā. Tā tēnei pire he whakanikoniko i te waka.

Ehara i te mea he waka hōu tēnei, i roa te tārai, ā, kua tekau tau e hoe ana. Ka nui aku mihi ki ngā kaitārai me ngā kaihoe. Ko ētahi ō rātau, kua riro ki te wāhi ngaro, pēnā i a Parekura. Ko tā tātau maioha ki a rātau mā, he hāpai i ngā hoe o te waka nei. I ētahi wā he moana pukepuke ka hoe, i ētahi anō wā he moana marino. E tātau mā, ko taku kupu ki a tātau i tēnei wā, ki te hoe, tēnā tātau.

Hai Te Māngai, nō mua rā anō a Ngāi Māori i aronui ki ngā hangarau pāoho. Nō muri noa mai, i te hainatanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi, i tāia ko te niupepa Reo Māori tuatahi. I kaha hāpai a Ngāi Māori i tēnei kaupapa, ā, he nui atu i te whā tekau ngā niupepa Reo Māori i waenga i te tau 1842 me te tau 1930. I te taenga mai o te hangarau hōu, ka hāpaitia e ō mātau tīpuna, me te tau mai o ētahi kupu hoki ki Te Reo Māori pēnei i te “waea” me te “terewhonu”. Ā, i ngā tau toru tekau, ka riro mā Tā Āpirana Ngata te waea ki tawhiti tuatahi mō Aotearoa nei, nā Aotearoa ki Ahitereiria, ā, ko ana kupu tuatahi hoki he kōrero Māori. Taro ake ki te wā nei o te pouaka whakaata, me maumahara, me whai whakaaro ki ngā pakanga ka kitea he hōtaka Māori pēnei i a Koha, i a Te Karere, i a Waka Huia. Kai te ora tonu ēnei kaumātua o Te Ao Māori. Ka puāwai ngā mahi pāoho Māori i ngā tau a waru tekau e rātau, nā te aranga mai o ngā teihana irirangi Māori.

He hītori tēnei ki a tātau e pā ana ki te hangarau mō tō tātau Reo Maōri. Kāre e kore, kai te maumahara ētahi mema o te Whare nei ki ngā kēhi me te pāoho Māori ki mua o Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi, me ngā Kooti. Ka whai hua ngā mahi nei i te Haratua o 2003, i te whakaturetanga o te ture mō Whakaata Māori. Nā, haere tonu, haere tonu, ngā mahi ka puāwai. Ko ngā mahi hai whakapiki i Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga ki te iwi Māori me te motu whānui, mō tātau.

Kāre te pire nei e tino whakarerekē i ngā ritenga mō Whakaata Māori, ka whakanikoniko kē i te ture matua, arā, ko Te Ture mō Whakaata Māori. Ka riro mā te pire e whakakaha te aro o Whakaata Māori ki āna mahi hei whakapiki i Te Reo Māori. Kua whakatakotoria he tikanga hōu mō te whakahaere i te ara tūātea, kia tukuna mō ngā mahi pāoho Māori. Ka riro mā te taha Māori, mā Te Pūtahi Pāoho e pupuri te ara tūātea, ā, māna e tuku raihana ki a Whakaata Māori, mō āna hōtaka o nāianei, o anamata anō hoki. Ka whakaritea mai, he tikanga arotake i tēnei ture ā muri ake nei, ā, ka whakamana i ētahi paku rerekētanga ki roto i ngā whakahaere a Te Pūtahi Pāoho, me Whakaata Māori.

Ko tētahi tikanga nui i ngā āmenamana nei, he whakarite i a Whakaata Māori mō te huri ki te tikanga pāoho mamati, arā digital. Ka oti ngā mahi a te huri mamati hai te kotahi o Hakihea 2013. Koia nei tātau, ngā take me pāhi i tēnei pire, i tēnei tau tonu nei. Koinā au e mihi atu ki a koutou mō ngā tautoko i tēnei wā. I te tīmatatanga tētahi arotake i te Ture mō Whakaata i te tau 2008 nā runga i te whakahau a section 56 o taua ture. Nā ngā Minita o taua wā, a Tā Michael Cullen rāua ko Parekura Horomia, me te heamana o Te Pūtahi Pāoho a Tūwhakairiora Williams, i whakatū tētahi kāhui arotake ki te tirotiro i te ture. Heoi anō e hoa, e te marae o Ngāhiwi Parekura, kai te tangi tonu, kai te mihi tonu mō ēnei mahi nāhau i mahi, nāhau i kōkiri i roto i ngā tau. Ko te kāhui arotake nei, ko Tainui Stephens, ko Jane Hūria rātau ko Hone Edwards. Ka oti tā rātau pūrongo i te tau 2009, ka whakatakotoria ki tēnei whare. Nō muri mai, ka whakatau te kāwanatanga ki te whakanikoniko i te ture mō Whakaata Māori, ā, ka tau mai tēnei pire ki te Whare i te Here-turi-kōkā te tau 2012, ā, he ota kaunihera. Nāu tēnei pātai mō te Order in Council.

Ka oti kē taku whakamōhio i te Whare nei mō ngā whakarerekētanga ki te hunga e whai wāhi ana i Te Pūtahi Pāoho. Kua rihaina te National Māori Congress me Kawea Te Rongo i Te Pūtahi Pāoho, nā runga i ngā tikanga o section 14 o te ture mō Whakaata Māori. Kei te kōkiri au i tētahi Ota Kaunihera (Order-in-Council) ki te whakaoti i ngā rīhainatanga nei. Kei te haere pai tēnei kaupapa, kei te Governor-General i tēnei wā māna e tautoko ana. Mēnā tautoko ana, anā kua oti. Nā reira, me mihi anō ki te komiti mō te take Māori, ka tika. Hai Te Māngai, ka riro mā tēnei pire a Whakaata Māori e whakarite mō te huringa mamati. Ko te wāhanga hōu tēnei o ngā kōrero mō te whai wāhi a Ngāi Māori ki ngā hangarau pāoho mai i ngā niupepa Reo Māori a ngā tīpuna. Kua tae mai nei te ao e pāohotia mamatitia Te Reo Māori.

[I will be speaking in Māori. I acknowledge this bill’s achievements in making it to its third reading. The third reading will embellish this vessel, the Māori Television Service, in respect of recent findings. It should be noted that it is in good shape and that those who manage it, the paddlers, are sturdy and leading the navigators to its long-term goal, that being the well-being of the Māori language. The embellishment of the vessel is the function of this bill.

The vessel is not a new one. Fashioning it has taken a while and the paddling has gone on for 10 years. I commend the fashioners and paddlers, some of whom have passed on to the place out of sight, the world of the gods and spirits, such as the Hon Parekura Horomia. Our tribute to them is to raise the paddles of this vessel aloft. At times the sea has been mountainous but the rowing continued. At times it has been calm. Fellow colleagues, my word to you at this point in time is to keep rowing.

Greetings to us. Māoridom have had an inclination towards broadcasting technology for a very long time. Following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi the first newspaper in Māori was published. Māoridom really picked this up, and between 1842 and 1930 there were more than 40 newspapers in Māori. When the new technology arrived, our ancestors elevated it, with the arrival also of words like “waea” and “terewhonu” into the Māori language. In the 1930s it was left to Sir Apirana Ngata to make the first long-distance call from this country by New Zealand to Australia. His first words were in Māori. Eventually we arrive at this moment of television to recall and ponder over the conflicts witnessed, before Māori programmes like Koha, Te Karere, and Waka Huia were found. These elders of Māoridom who were involved are still alive today. As a consequence of them, Māori broadcasting functions came to fruition in the 1980s because of the rise of Māori radio stations.

In terms of technology and our Māori language, this is historical for us. Without a doubt some members of this House are recalling the cases on Māori broadcasting that went before the Waitangi Tribunal and the courts. The Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act in May 2003 was the outcome of the cases before those courts. And so, the work continued and blossomed. The work related to promoting the Māori language and its customs to the Māori people and to the nation at large on our behalf.

The bill does not alter the provisions for Māori Television significantly, but, rather, it enhances the principal Act of 2003 instead. The bill will strengthen the focus of Māori Television on its work to promote the Māori language. A new procedure about the management of the spectrum is being proposed for activities relating to Māori broadcasting. The Māori component, Te Pūtahi Paoho, will hold the spectrum and issue licences to Māori Television for its current programmes and for those thereafter. It will consider a subsequent review protocol in this legislation, and it will effect some minor administrative changes for Te Pūtahi Paoho and Māori Television.

A significant change in these amendments is the consideration that Māori Television will change the method of broadcasting to digital. The transfer to digital will be completed on 1 December 2013. These are matters that must be passed right now in this bill, in this year. This is why I am complimenting you for your support at this point in time.

At the beginning was a review of the Broadcasting Act of 2008, pursuant to section 56 of that Act. Ministers at that time Sir Michael Cullen and Parekura Horomia, with the chairman of Te Pūtahi Paoho, Tūwhakairiora Williams, established a review panel to examine the Act. And so, dear friend Parekura, we continue to mourn your passing and to acknowledge these tasks you dealt with over the years. The review panel consisted of Tainui Stephens, Jane Hūria, and Hone Edwards. Their report was completed in 2009 and was presented to Parliament. Afterwards the Government decided to enhance the Act for Māori Television, and this bill came before the House in August 2012 as an Order in Council. You sought for this Order in Council.

I have already informed this House about the changes to those that have an interest in Te Pūtahi Paoho. The National Māori Congress and Kawea Te Rongo have resigned from Te Pūtahi Pāoho under section 14 of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act. I am dealing with an Order in Council to complete these resignations. This matter is progressing well and it is with the Governor-General, currently awaiting his approval. If he approves it, then it is done. So it is fitting indeed that I acknowledge the Māori Affairs Committee. This bill will enable the Māori Television Service to make the digital switch-over happen. This is the new part of this conversation about Māoridom’s participation in the technologies of broadcasting from the newspapers in Māori of the ancestral forefathers. This world of broadcasting the Māori language digitally has arrived.]

We have come from a newspaper in Te Reo Māori to, now, digitisation of Te Reo Māori. Kai te hīkaka katoa ahau. I am really, really over the moon about this. Ki ngā āhuatanga o te ao hangarau nei. Māori mā, kia kaha tā tātau ruku atu ki te hangarau pāoho, e hua mai, e hua mai. Nō reira, huri noa i tēnei Whare whakapiringa tangata, ka mihi kau atu ki ngā mana nō tuawhakarere, ā, ki a tātau i konei i tēnei rā. Nā reira, huri noa tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau, tēnā tātau katoa, ā, kei Te Māngai kei raro.

[To the nuances of this world of technology, Māori, we must be strong and dive into technology broadcasting. Results will come to bear—results will come to bear. Therefore, I salute the pioneers from the past and us here today, throughout the House of the people. And so, greetings to you, to us, and to everyone throughout. I resume my seat.]

Thank you to the Minister of Māori Affairs for his speech. Thank you to the Minister for his engagement during the debate on this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. Tonight it feels as if there has truly been a debate with some meaning in this House on a piece of legislation that, actually, we are in agreement on, because Labour supports this bill. As I think everyone will have noticed, we have reservations. But actually having a real debate where the questions are asked and there is an attempt to engage and to answer them is what this Parliament should be doing on every single piece of legislation where there are questions and where there is genuine debate and genuine engagement from the other side of the House. So I would like to make that point, because I think it is an important point and I do hope that there are members listening and taking note of that.

There is too much debate, too much superficial debate, in this Parliament on important pieces of legislation where the other side of the House refuses to engage because it wants to push a piece of legislation through. So all credit to the Minister of Māori Affairs, who has genuinely attempted to answer some of the questions that have been raised. Even if those answers are not necessarily as fulsome as we would like, they have been genuine attempts, and we acknowledge that.

I do want to again make mention of the importance of Māori Television to our country and as a great example of what can be done in the area of public broadcasting. Māori Television has become, as has been noted by a number of people tonight, the default public television broadcaster in New Zealand. However, it does not have the mandate to be a full public television broadcaster. It does not have the funding to be a full public television broadcaster. Because of the absence—because there is a gap—of public television in this country, it has ably attempted to fulfil that, although its primary mandate is around the promotion of Te Reo and the importance of Te Reo in New Zealand, and we absolutely applaud that and support it. Again, tonight I want to acknowledge the work done by Parekura Horomia in helping to set up Māori Television, and his vision lives on and, hopefully, will live on for many decades to come through this broadcaster. On that, going to the appointment process—the important appointment process—of a new chief executive, which has taken up much time in the debate tonight, we on this side of the House are watching very closely.

I think that there is a will in New Zealand for Māori Television to lead the way, and to do that it must be above all question and must not have any shadows hanging over it in terms of how it is being run and the governance structures and the way that those decisions are being made. I certainly think those points have been made well tonight, and I certainly think that the Minister has been listening.

I also want to acknowledge the work done in the Māori Affairs Committee by all members of the select committee, and in particular by my colleagues Shane Jones; Parekura, before he passed away; Nanaia Mahuta; and Rino Tirikatene. They were all members on that committee and they have all contributed today in the House on this issue. Also, I note a number of the issues were raised, and my colleague Kris Faafoi has been very vigorously debating the issues around the spectrum, its management, and how it is going to be used. Those issues that were raised in the select committee must also remain on the record, and that is the composition and the governance of the electoral college Te Pūtahi Paoho, and how that is working out. I think that certainly tonight there has been constructive discussion around that.

It feels as if there is constructive movement towards resolving some of those issues, but I certainly want to make sure that the House knows how that plays out. How those management and governance arrangements play out will certainly be being watched very closely in the future, in respect of not only the general management of Māori Television but also the management of that spectrum, because our concern is that there are other plans, or there may be other plans. I have heard what the Minister said tonight around the future use of that spectrum, around lifting the bar, and around quality as well as quantity of programming on Māori Television. But we certainly are concerned that there may be other plans for that that may impinge on the ability of Māori Television to develop in the way that it could and should in our country in the next 10 years.

So that issue remains, as does another issue, which is a critical issue and a wider issue, because it goes to the Government’s management of spectrum generally, right across the board. This is a very topical issue at the moment, because if we are going to embrace the digital environment, both in broadcasting and across into the mobile technology space, then we have to have a consistent, logical plan that has the interests of New Zealanders at its heart and is about a true competitive environment in the mobile technology space and in the broadcasting space. It is about the ability for all New Zealanders to access television services and to receive a high-quality public broadcasting service through their taxpayer-funded money.

Unfortunately, though, at the moment we do not have that. We do not have a strategy. We do not have a plan. It is all very ad hoc, and we saw yesterday the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Amy Adams, make an announcement that she was going to undertake to put out the remaining spectrum in the 700 megahertz band, which is the information and communications technology side of it, the mobile technology side of it, which could have been and should have been held back for strategic purposes. Oh, no—in order to make a quick buck, because that is where the Government is at, it is going to be put out to the highest bidder through auction. What we could end up with, and what we are likely to end up with, is an environment that is not as competitive as it could and should be, and where there is likely to be movement towards that 1990s approach, to a monopoly in an important growth market for New Zealand.

Then we also have, as has been mentioned by me and Kris Faafoi, the hand-back—the interesting and somewhat inexplicable last-minute hand-back—of an important body of the spectrum by Sky TV in the broadcasting environment to the Crown, with no idea and no public discussion about why, what deal was done around that, how it is going to be used, whether some of it is going to be kept aside for the public arena, or whether it is going to be hocked off as well. These are important questions. They go to the Government’s ability to manage an important market. This is a market and an environment that crosses broadcasting and telecommunications space. It is called convergence, in case the members on that side still have not woken up to the fact that that has already happened and that there should be a strategy in place. Unfortunately, there is not, and these things are being managed in a very ad hoc way. Government members are really hanging their heads a bit at the moment because, to be honest, none of them could get up and give a speech on this topic. That is what is required.

We support this bill, but we have reservations about it. We will be watching the governance processes very closely, we will be watching the appointment process for the new chief executive very closely, and we will certainly be providing a comprehensive strategy for the management of these important parts of our economy and our broadcasting environment.

At this time I would like to acknowledge and thank Sir Graham Latimer, who was the driver behind the Māori Language Act, which established the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act, which we are now talking about amending.

This bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill, is about the protection and promotion of te reo me ōna tikanga. This is not a bill about the spectrum. This is not a bill about being a public broadcaster. This is about the promotion and the protection of Te Reo via a free-to-air digital terrestrial television network. I thank my colleagues across the House for recommending and commending this bill to the House.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak in the third and final reading of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. Someone earlier on in this debate mentioned the word “taonga”. The translation of that word in to English is treasure. The previous speaker, Claudette Hauiti, thanked Sir Graham Latimer, and I also want to pay tribute to a former colleague, Parekura Horomia, because this is one of the treasures that Pare left us. I think that, from what I have seen from the Minister of Māori Affairs at the Committee stage, when he was in the chair, and in his third and second reading speeches, he absolutely understands that the Māori Television Service, or Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori, is a treasure. The notion of treasure—and the translation of the word to treasure—in Māori is, I think, more than just something of worth and value. It is also something that has to be respected.

I think that although this bill does deal with the spectrum, the increase in the use of Te Reo, and getting more coverage of Māori issues and the culture to Māori and non-Māori, there are some issues within this bill that we have concerns about. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Minister, because I thought he went some way to addressing a lot of the concerns that we have. We do still have some concerns as to how that may play out—certainly where it pertains to the spectrum—but there have been some other issues at Māori Television recently that have concerned us, in particular around the process of the appointment of the chief executive role.

I wanted to take some time to talk about the concept of taonga, because the Māori Television Service, with the hard graft of many people, has the very important job of protecting the language. It is not the only avenue that this Government funds and that previous Governments have funded to protect the indigenous language of Māori. We do not have that language anywhere else in the world, so to make sure that we have an avenue through which we can see and hear Māori voices and Māori people celebrating, educating, and, I must add, entertaining, is very, very important.

So the spirit of the place is different from that of any other public broadcaster that we have in New Zealand. Television New Zealand (TVNZ), a State-owned broadcaster, appeals to the masses, and it is not its remit to basically look after Te Reo or the Māori culture. That is the job of Māori Television, and it is a very special job. I think that we have seen some messy scenes in the process of the appointment of a chief executive. So what I would like to see is maybe some independence there in terms of a governance model to make sure that we do not have any ugly scenes—whether it be from that side of the House or from this side of the House—and to make sure that there is some independence at a governance level so we do not see this kind of thing happen again.

💬 Metiria Turei: Does TVNZ do that?

No, I do not believe that it does. That was a response to Metiria Turei. But we cannot let a taonga have a dirty mark like this put on top of it. That is absolutely wrong. So I think that that is the challenge that I might put out to the Minister—to make sure that it does not happen again and that we have some sort of separation from this place, to make sure that that kind of thing cannot happen again. I am not calling into question the people behind the decisions that get made, but in this case there seems to have been a close personal relationship with an individual who went for a job, and also an employment record, and then some criticism of questions that were asked on this side of the House. We do respect that the Māori Television Service is a very special broadcaster, that it is a treasure, and that we need to respect it as a taonga and make sure that these kinds of things and these issues do not happen again. So we respect that, and we need to make sure that that is respected as well.

In relation to the use of the spectrum—because a large part of this bill is about the spectrum, contrary to other speeches that have been made in this House—it is very important for the future of digital technology. The way that it can be used and utilised in the future means that what might be junk today could be very, very important when it turns into digital technology in the future. In effect, you can take an analog signal and turn it into eight digital signals. The ownership of that spectrum has been moved from the Māori Television Service to another entity, Te Pūtahi Paoho, and is going to be managed by it. I thank the Minister because when he was in the chair he said that the management of that will be taken with a view to making sure that in the future, if any of that spectrum is going to be utilised by anyone other than the Māori Television Service, we have been told by the Minister—

💬 Hon Todd McClay: Like an old rerun of Coronation Street. Stop him.

You can go watch Coronation Street if you want. You are not making any contribution here. We have been told by the Minister that it will be very important to utilise it, especially for the use of Māori culture. So I would like to hope that that follows through, to ensure that it is utilised for the purpose for which it was originally given to the Māori Television Service.

Around the larger overview of the spectrum resource—because the Māori Television Service is not the only entity that has had part of the spectrum allocated to it—the Government’s management has been at best haphazard, but it has got an opportunity to make good with the packet of spectrum that has just been given back by Sky. Clare Curran has spoken about the timing of that, but regardless of it, the Government now has four packets of the spectrum that it will have available to it, which it can either do nothing with, or can, as we have seen in the past, hock off.

But what we on this side of the House would like is for the Government to ring-fence one of those packets of the digital spectrum, which can broadcast eight television stations, for any future use around public broadcasting or, potentially, regional broadcasting. It is very, very expensive at the moment for regional broadcasters to get themselves a piece of the spectrum action, but it is also going to be very expensive for any future Government that wants to start up a public service broadcaster if there is none of the spectrum available to it.

We have seen what the Government has done in its commitment to public broadcasting over its 5-year tenure. It closed down TVNZ 7 and TVNZ 6. So given its track record over the last 5 years I do not hold out much hope for the Government taking a forward-looking approach to any broadcasting. In fact, it is a challenge to the Government that maybe if it did reserve some of the soon-to-be-available spectrum that has come across from Sky, it might have at least a passing interest in public broadcasting. So that is my challenge to the Government, to make sure that if it has any long-term vision for the spectrum—[Bell rung] I just wanted to keep it going; Tim Macindoe is very happy—it does square away and ring-fence the spectrum. But unfortunately I do not hold out much hope of the Government having a long-term vision around that spectrum or public broadcasting.

But just to return to the bill and to wind up, this is an important bill for the future of the Māori Television Service. It is doing a very good job of meeting its objectives and making sure that it promotes, educates, and entertains to make sure that the Māori culture is promoted. It is unfortunate that there are some messy scenes at the governance level. I would hope that when the review comes back to the Minister of Māori Affairs and the Minister of Finance, we look at another way to independently deal with these situations, so we do not have messes that do not deserve to be anywhere near the Māori Television Service.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. The Green Party supports this legislation, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. We are very pleased that it has been brought to the House and is about to be passed. That is great.

I want to make just a few comments before taking my seat again. One of them is to acknowledge again the role that Māori Television plays in the promotion of Te Reo Māori and tikanga Māori, and also the fantastic role it plays in connecting our communities together—the Pākehā community and the Māori community. It shows our own country and the world all of those stories about the reality of Māori lives and all the good stories about Māori lives that do not get shown anywhere else. It is a fantastic service that this station is doing for our country, for our relationships, and for the process of post-colonial issues that we are having to deal with.

I just want to issue a word of caution around some of the comments that have been made this evening. My question to my colleague Kris Faafoi about how Television New Zealand appoints its chief executive was a genuine one. I was not shouting just to be mean. It was a genuine question, because there is actually a bit of a fine line between even-handed regulatory oversight, for which this Parliament and its agents are responsible, and a kind of paternalistic approach to Māori organisations. Māori organisations have suffered paternalistic control and management by the State, by State agencies, and by Parliament for decade after decade after decade. That has tended to strangle the innovation and opportunities that Māori organisations at all kinds of different levels have, but at the same time there is public money that needs to be properly considered.

Where there is public money going into any agency anywhere, there needs to be even-handed and proper regulatory oversight. From my point of view, I absolutely do not think that the structure that determines who the chief executive officer of Māori Television is should be any different from any other structure that is established for any other similar organisation. I think there is a real issue around the way that Māori organisations can often be treated. There are issues around the appointment of staffing or chief executive officers, and there are all sorts of issues that arise from time to time with any agency, any organisation, that receives public funding. Yes, the use of that funding should be questioned, but Māori organisations must not be treated in a way that exerts more control over them than any other organisation, and any attempt to do so is a furthering of the colonisation process. And when you are talking about something like Māori Television, which is operating to undo some of those negative impacts of colonisation, it undermines the whole effectiveness of that organisation.

Having heard all of the kōrero through the second reading, some of the Committee stage, and even tonight at the third reading, I really think that we need to be very cautious about how we treat Māori Television in this context. It is doing a great job. Every organisation is going to have its problems. Yes, it is right to question where there is public funding, but beyond that there must be absolute caution in making sure that that questioning is even-handed and careful so that Māori organisations are not treated differently from other organisations.

Beyond that, this is a great bill. It is great to see it passed. It is going to help Māori Television move into the digital age and expand in all sorts of innovative and fantastic ways, and we look forward to that future. Kia ora.

Kia ora anō tātau. E te Pika o te Whare tēnā koe, e hautū nei i a tātau i tēnei pō. Kua riro he 10 meneti te roa o tēnei kōrero māku te katoa o tēnā tāima e whakapau, kia whai pūkenga ai ō tātau hoa ki tēnā taha o te Whare i a rātau e āmene ana i te kaupapa i roto i te pire nei.

Ko te pouaka whakaata, me āta whai taringa mai rātou ki Te Reo Māori e kōrerotia ana kātahi ka ngoto mārika, ki roto i ō rātau hinengaro, ki roto i ō rātau ngākau, wairua o Te Reo Māori e kōrerongia ake nei he taonga mai i ō tātau mātua hei kōrerotanga mā tēnei reanga hei tukunga mā mātau ki ngā tamariki, ki Aotearoa whānui. Tēnei mātau te tautoko i te pire nei. Ahakoa ōku kōrero horekau he tautoko ki te Minita, me hāngai tonu ki te kaupapa o te pire ko te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. Me wewete i ngā take o te Minita ki te taha, me hāngai tonu ki ngā take i whakakorikoringia ai ō tātau mātua i te tuatahi.

Nā hoki ōku whakaaro ki te matua nei ki a Tā Hēmi—ki a Hēmi Tau. Ka hoki mai ai tēnā kaumātua i te Pakanga Tuarua. Nāna i arataki mai i ngā hōia o te Hokowhitu a Tū. Ka makere mai i te kaipuke, nā rātau i whakahoki mai ki Aotearoa. Ka hoki ki te kāinga. Nā, ka puea ake te wairua, te moemoeā, kia pūmau Te Reo Māori i waenga tonu i āna tamariki, wāna mokopuna, wāna hapū i roto i Te Tai Tokerau. Tahi ka piri atu ki ētahi atu o ngā mātua. Nāna i roto i te rīpoata nei Te Kāhui o Māhutonga tētahi waiata i waiho hei kōrerotanga, hei whakamihi mā mātau mō Te Reo Māori. Nā reira tika tonu me mihi atu tātau ki ēnā kaumātua. Ētahi atu ko Charles Mohi, ko ngā tuākana, ngā tēina o te whānau o ngā Huata, ētahi atu ko te kaumātua Tūwhāngai.

E mahara ana ahau ki te pīki hui i tū ki roto i Waiwhetū. Ko te tau 1980. Nā i tērā wā, ko te tangata nei a Kara Puketapu i te hautū i te tari Māori. Nāna te pūtea i te wā i a Ben Couch, nāna te pūtea i rauhī kia tū ai tēnā hui. Ka puta mai ngā kaumātua katoa. Kātahi ka tū mai tētahi o ngā mātua o Whanganui, ka tautoko i te kaupapa nei kia whakatōngia he purapura mō Te Reo Māori. Ko tētahi o ngā kaiwhakahaere o tēnā hui ko Ruka Broughton. Ko ia tētahi o ngā pūkenga o te ao Māori i awhi wawe i roto i a mātau i te noho ki Pōneke i tērā wā, kia whakawhiwhia tonutia Te Reo Māori i mua i te tukunga mai o te pūtea kia tū ai ngā kōhanga.

Nā ētahi atu kaumātua te hia noa atu ēngari, ko tētahi wahine i reira nāna ngā kaumātua i tērā pō me ngā kuikuia i whakamātautau, i whakataratara. Ko te wahine nei a Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi. I mōhio tātau i a tātau e kōrero ana mō ngā take mō Te Reo Māori, arā noa atu te toenga o te kapa whaea, kapa matua o tērā wā e toe tonu ana nā rātau tēnei waka i whakarite hei hari i ngā moemoeā o tō tātau iwi. Nā reira i a tātau e mihi ana ki te pire, e mihi ana ki te kaupapa, kaua tātau e wareware ki te hunga kua whetūrangitia. Ētahi ō rātau e toe ana hei mōrehu, hei mihinga, mā tātau ō roto i te Whare nei, ka mutu, ko ngā ingoa o ngā rōpū kua whakaritea hei noho ki Te Pūtahi Pāho.

Ahau e tautoko ana i te kaupapa nei. Waiho ko tētahi kēwai o te kete, taukawe o te kete, e pupuru ko ngā rōpu kei tō tātau ao Māori. Horekau ōku kōrero mō rātau i a rātau e whakarite ana me pēhea te whakahaere. Mā rātau anō tēnā e whakatatū tā te mea, ko ngā kanohi o te ao Māori e tau ana ki runga i a rātau. He mōhio nōku, ehara rātau i te iwi kūare me pēhea rānei tēnei taonga e poipoia ai, e whakakonihi ai hei taonga kia ranea ake te aroha kei ā tātau tamariki mokopuna ki tō tātau Reo Māori. Nā reira ko tāku he tautoko.

Ko tāku ki te Minita, me rapu tētahi wāhi pūtea pea me whakawhiwhi atu ki ētahi āpiha pea hei āwhina atu i a rātau e mahi ngātahi me te Karauna. I te tuatahi, i te ohooho ahau e te Māngai o te Whare, ka riro ko rātau hei rangatira mō ngā taonga e karangahia nei he iarere ēngari, kua tatū taku ngākau ināianei me taku mōhio horekau ōku hoa i rata mai ki ēnā whakahē ōku, kātahi au ka tuku ki raro. Ēngari, ko te mahi hei kōrerotanga i tēnei pō, kia kaha tātau te whakaaro mai, i a koutou e noho ana ngā Minita, kia whai huruhuru ai rātau ki te whakatutuki i ngā mahi i roto i te pire whakaarongia ana hei mahi mā rātau. Ka mutu, ko ēnei take mō te āhuatanga o tō tātau Reo. Kaua tātau e te Whare, e waiho mō tēnei taonga ko pouaka whakaata anakenake hei whakapuāwai i ngā moemoeā kei tēnā hapū, kei tēnā iwi, ka mutu, ko te motu whānui. Waiho tēnā take hei amonga mā tātau katoa. Kia kaua rawa atu Te Reo e whakangoikorengia i roto i ngā kura. Kia kaua rawa atu Te Reo e whakatahangia i a tātau e rapu nei me pēhea rānei ngā manuhiri o rāwāhi e whakataungia ai. Me pēhea rānei, ngā hākinakina papai o Aotearoa e wehea mai i Te Reo Māori. Koia tāku e tautoko nei i te kaupapa o ngā Kapa-ō-Pango, i a rātau e rapu nei me pēhea rānei Te Reo Māori e kīnakitia ai ki ngā kaupapa ā-rēhia, ki ngā kaupapa hākinakina e ngākaunuitia e te whānuitanga o te motu.

Ka mutu, Te Reo Māori i roto i tēnei pire, e whakaarongia ana e kore Te Reo e tika ki te kāhore ngā tikanga noki e tautokotia, ka mutu, ka waihotia he hōtaka, ka waihotia he pakipūmeka, hei hari, hei hāpai i ngā tikanga nōki. Ka mutu, te hunga ka tino whiwhi inā oti i roto i ēnei mahi hōu, me kī, e whakaarongia ana i roto i te pire nei, ko ā tātau tamariki ēngari, ko ā tātau hoa Pākehā anō hoki me ngā huanga mai i ngā motu o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Tāku e īnoi ake nei ki a tātau, whakaarongia tētahi tauira ka riro ko Te Reo Māori hei kōrerotanga mā mātau te iwi Māori, otirā, hei whakarangatira, hei whakamihinga, hei whakamīharo mā Aotearoa katoa. Nā kia tū ngā kaupapa whakatau i roto i ngā kura, kaua e whakatahangia i Te Reo Māori. Kia tū ngā kaupapa kei ngā kaunihera takiwā, kei ngā kaunihera, kei ngā rohe, kei ngā koromatua tukua Te Reo Māori kia rite ki te raukura, kia rangatira ai ngā ritenga me ngā tikanga i roto i ngā kaunihera. Ēnei mea katoa e oti mā roto i te pire nei, māku ki a tātau, ēnei mea katoa ka oti.

Ka mutu e te Māngai o te Whare, tā mātau i pōuri, tā mātau hoki i mānakanaka ai, roa rawa te wā tēnei take e tārewa ana. Ka nui noa atu te mānakonako o waenga tonu i a mātau e matatau nei ki Te Reo Māori, e īnoi nei ki Te Atua, ki te wāhi ngaro kia whakawhiwhia Te Reo Māori ki a mātau tamariki, mokopuna ēngari, me hāngai. Kaua rawa ēnei take e waiho kia whakatārewatia. Ki te tārewa mārika, māku ki a tātau, ko ngā kaiamo, ko ngā kaitautoko, kātahi ka manawa kore, kātahi rātau ka ngoikore haere. Nā koia tāku e mea ake nei ki te Minita, kia kaha te tautoko hāunga anō i a Pouaka Māori ēngari, ko ngā irirangi Māori anō hoki. Arā noa atu te māra hei whakatupu i ngā māhuri āpōpō, ka rite rātau hei pupuru i ngā tūranga teitei kei tēnei Pouaka Māori, me kī.

Kaua e waiho ko tēneki anake hei titiro mā tātau i a tātau e whiriwhiri me pēhea rānei Te Reo Māori e whakapakaringia ēngari, tirohia anō hoki ngā irirangi, tirohia anō hoki ngā kōhanga. E kore au e kōrero kōhanga ki te aroaro o te Minita he mōhio nōku āhua wera tonu ana tēnā take māna me Hekia Parata mā, e rapu me pēhea rānei he rongoā ka kitea kia kaua rawa atu ngā kinonga o te poari whakahaere e māturuturu ki waenga tonu ia kōhanga, ia kōhanga.

Nā reira, e Te Māngai, tēnei mātau i te tautoko, te mihi atu ki te Minita ahakoa āhua kārawarawa tana tuarā i ahau i mua, e pai ana. He kaitōrangapū ahau tū mai tū atu. Horekau ōku raruraru kia puta i a au he kōrero, ka whakautua tēnā kōrero ki ahau. Nā reira, tēnei mātau te tautoko, kia ora tātau katoa.

[Greetings to us once again. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker of the House, as you lead us here this evening. This address will take 10 minutes, and I will use up the whole time so that our colleagues on the other side of the House can acquire new skills as they endorse the gist of this bill.

The television audience must listen intently to the Māori language being spoken and then impress it implicitly in their minds, feelings, and in the spirit of the Māori language used here as being a treasure from our ancestors for this generation to speculate over, and as something from us to the children and the whole of the country. We support this bill. Despite my comments that I do not support the Minister, I must remain focused on the essence of this bill, which is the Māori language and its customs. We must disengage from the matters for the Minister and leave them to one side, and remain focused on the matters that our ancestors were negotiating in the first place.

My thoughts go back to this elder Sir Hēmi—Hēmi Tau. That elder returned from the Second World War with the soldiers of the Māori Battalion. He disembarked the ship that brought them back to New Zealand and returned home. It was then that the dream manifested for the Māori language to be fixed permanently within his children, grandchildren, and his subtribes in Northland. Then he consulted other fathers. He left a song in this report of Te Kāhui o Māhutonga for us to talk about the Māori language and to celebrate it. Therefore, it is only right that we salute those elders. Others were Charles Mohi, elder and younger siblings of the Huata family, and Hēnare Tūwhāngai.

I recall a huge seminar that was held at Waiwhetū Marae in the 1980s. This person Kara Puketapu was the Secretary of the Māori Affairs department at the time. He put together the funding required for that seminar in Ben Couch’s time. All elders attended. One of the chiefs from Whanganui then stood up and endorsed this proposal about the Māori language, and the seed was sown. Ruka Broughton, one of the convenors of that seminar, an expert in Māoridom and of the Māori language, who was living amongst us in Wellington at the time, quickly embraced the proposal that the Māori language be made available immediately, even before funding to establish language nests had been allocated.

Now there were other elders, a huge number of them, but there was this one particular woman present with other elderly women who tested and challenged the elders that night. This woman was Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi. In our discussions about matters pertaining to the Māori language, we must recognise the fact that there are still teams of remaining mothers and fathers of that era left who considered that this would be the vessel to carry the dreams of our people. So while we are paying a tribute to the bill and the proposal, we must never forget those who have passed away. Some of them remain as survivors to be acknowledged by us in this House, and, furthermore, as names for the organisations considered to sit on Te Pūtahi Pāho.

For me personally, I support this proposal and leave our Māori organisations to hold one handle of the flax basket as they ponder over how Te Pūtahi Pāho should operate. I have nothing to say to them. They will have to make those determinations for themselves, as they are accountable to Māoridom. I know for a fact that Māoridom is not ignorant in terms of how this treasure should be nurtured and treated with a great deal of stealth, so that the love that our children and grandchildren have for our Māori language will well up in abundance. So my part is to support it.

I urge the Minister to provide a portion, perhaps, of the funding for officials to perhaps help them work collaboratively with the Crown. At first I was wary, Mr Assistant Speaker of the House, that they would end up being the owners of property called spectrum, but I am satisfied now, knowing that some colleagues of mine were not too pleased with my opposing views, so I sat down. But what we should be doing this evening while seated is to work hard to come up with strategies so that Ministers have the tools to work with to fulfil the tasks in the bill under consideration. Furthermore, these matters relate to the state of our language. We the House must never allow this property, the television set, to be the sole means of bringing the dreams of that subtribe, tribe, and nation to fruition. We should all bear that responsibility. The Māori language must never be weakened in the schools and put to one side while we contemplate how visitors from overseas are to be welcomed, or, for that matter, how top sports in New Zealand can be extricated from the Māori language. That is why I support the All Blacks’ philosophy as they seek ways to embellish well-liked pleasure and sports pursuits at a national level with the Māori language.

As well as that, the Māori language being considered in this bill would not be appropriate without its supporting customs too, and, what is more, it is left to a programme, a documentary, to bear and take up the role of customs. As well, the ones who will really benefit from these new applications being considered in this bill will not only be our children but also our non-Māori friends and Pacific Island relations. My plea to us all is to consider a model where the Māori language is left for us, the Māori people, to articulate, treat with dignity, eulogise, and admire for the whole of New Zealand. So when there is a welcome ceremony in schools, the Māori language is not parked up on the side. When it comes to ceremonies at local government, council, regional, and mayoral levels, allow the Māori language and its customs to prevail just like a plume, a treasure, so that council proceedings and protocols are conducted with dignity. I assure you that all these things can be accomplished in this bill.

Beyond that, Mr Assistant Speaker of the House, we were disappointed and anxious too about the length of time this matter has been hanging around unresolved. There is much desire among us, the ones fluent in the Māori language, to have it made available to our children and grandchildren, and we pray to God and the place out of sight that this happens. But it must be relevant. These matters should never be suspended and left unresolved. If this is a deliberate ploy, then bearers and supporters will become disheartened and listless. That is what I was alluding to when I said the Minister should work hard to provide support not only to Māori Television but also to Māori radio. There are many plantations where saplings for tomorrow are planted so that their like can fill high positions at this Māori Television, shall we say.

We should not focus on this alone as we consider how to strengthen the Māori language, but should examine the situation relating to radio and language nests, as well. I will not mention language nests in front of the Minister, because I know that is still a somewhat hot topic for him, Hēkia Parata, and others as they continue to look for a remedy to ensure that problems at Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust will not trickle down directly to each and every language nest.

And so, Mr Assistant Speaker, we do support the bill and congratulate the Minister, even though I inflicted some welts on his back in the past, but that is fine. I am a politician through and through. I do not have any problems with expressing a view and the response that is made to me. So we do endorse this, and greetings to us all.]

Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. I support the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. The Māori Affairs Committee worked hard on this bill. We considered all the issues in detail, and we believe that this bill will empower and enhance the Maori Television Service and allow Māori Television to better protect Māori language and culture for the long term. I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. I am very pleased to stand in support of this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. We can celebrate 25 years of the Māori language being an official language. We now have 27 iwi radio stations broadcasting on 68 frequencies, promoting Māori language and culture. I am very pleased to commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou i te Whare. I am very pleased to speak at this third reading of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. I would like to acknowledge the Minister of Māori Affairs and my honourable colleague Shane here—

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson): Full name—full name.

—Mr Jones, Mr Jones—for their contributions in Te Reo Māori, because that is really what this bill is about. Sure, there has been a long whakapapa to this particular bill, but the essence of it is the protection and promotion of Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga. We have empowered the Māori Television Service through this bill to enter into the digital age. It is going to be exciting to see what the future holds in terms of the digital platforms and the different mediums by which we will be able to consume content from the Māori Television Service, but fundamentally it is about te reo me ōna tikanga.

So, yes, this is a significant occasion. My thoughts go to the late Hon Parekura Horomia, the instigator, the champion, and the Minister in charge of the establishment of the Māori Television Service, who enshrined a review mechanism that has now led us to this review, coming up to the 10th anniversary of the Māori Television Service. So we acknowledge those who have passed, rātou ki a rātou, but tātou te hunga ora. We are delighted to usher in this new chapter for Māori Television and the clarified and sharpened functions for the service. But there is also the conferring of rights to Te Pūtahi Paoho, which will manage the spectrum that will be allocated, which will allow the Māori Television Service to broadcast through the 4G digital platform, in high definition—yes, the wonders of modern broadcasting. So we commend this bill.

We do support this bill. Sure, we have raised some concerns regarding the composition of Te Pūtahi Paoho. But I notice that there is one name and one organisation on here that I do acknowledge—and I am so pleased that it is still there—Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo. I acknowledge the koroua kaumātua Huirangi Waikerepuru, who was, as I understand it, one of the original claimants before the Waitangi Tribunal. They also took a case all the way to the Privy Council to fight for the recognition that the Crown has an active obligation. That Privy Council case established that the Crown has an active duty to protect and promote Te Reo Māori. It is a legal obligation on the Crown, based on the Treaty. That rangatira, who is still on Te Pūtahi Paoho, is what this is all about. We need those elder statesmen and those kaumātua to be on those bodies in recognition of the contribution that they have made in fighting for our language, for its survival.

It is just wonderful that we can recognise those bodies and, I guess, we are looking forward to the Minister of Māori Affairs sharpening up the composition of Te Pūtahi Paoho. Sure, if there are some redundant organisations that have been withdrawn or are discontinuing, let us tidy that up—you know, kei te pai—and then let us get on with the mahi.

I do have one story, which has actually just come back to me. In a former life of mine, I suppose, a few years ago, I was a corporate lawyer—in the mid to late 1990s. This was around the time when there were a lot of asset sales going on. There were the sales of Contact Energy and the Auckland International Airport, and we were doing some work for a very big corporate investment banking firm, whose people had flown in from overseas. We were talking with Treasury, and in those days, the sale of Television New Zealand (TVNZ) was very, very close to happening.

💬 Hon Maurice Williamson: I tried—I tried.

Lo and behold, it was that Minister opposite over there. So, it was very close to taking place. I was involved in that, and I had to give the advice to the investment bankers as to what the risks were and what was going to happen. The essence of my advice was that the Crown could not proceed with the sale at that time because it was too risky because of the legal obligations that the Crown had to Māori, particularly in terms of the protection of the Māori language. So, fortunately, yes, my advice was correct, because the Government did back down from the sale. It backed down because it did have a legal obligation. It took a Labour Government to actually fulfil the obligation under the Treaty that led to the creation of the Māori Television Service. So, here we are, nearly 10 years on, and the Māori Television Service is thriving. I certainly do hope that TVNZ is not on the radar of this Government for any potential future sale—that is all I can say.

In passing, can I get back to the core functions of the Māori Television Service. It is about the protection and promotion of Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga, and I am looking forward to seeing more creative content. In particular, we have amended the functions of the Act to take into account the quality, the integrity, of Te Reo for native speakers—first-language speakers—as well. We may see the proliferation of more channels, or more avenues for content, for different audiences. We are seeing that with the Te Reo channel that it has already, and we might see further refinement. It might be particular iwi—who knows? The future is definitely exciting.

I do look forward to seeing Māori Television progress. I look forward to the announcement of its new chief executive, when that person is finally appointed. Māori Television definitely needs a new chief to steer that waka.

💬 Hon Maurice Williamson: I want Mister Ed in Te Reo again. He was good.

Well, there might be Mister Ed in Te Reo, but I am looking forward to the—oh, I forget the name, but there is the NBA—the free-to-air National Basketball Association games, which screen on Māori Television. I am looking forward to hearing Pierre Lyndon giving commentary, with his great Ngāti Hine dialect—“The ball goes down to Steven Adams in the low post. He does a move and he goes down the keyhole and he does a two-handed slamdunk in the face, right on top of LeBron James.”—all in the most beautiful Reo language. So it is exciting, and I might be able to watch that on my mobile phone or through high-definition TV.

I commend this bill to the House. I look forward to considering it further and I wish Māori Television all the very best. Kia ora tātou.

It is a pleasure to take a short call in this third reading debate and to join members from across the Chamber and on the Government side in commending this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill, to the House for favourable passage through the House.

I am pleased to be able to make a contribution in the third reading to support the passage of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Iriranga Māori) Amendment Bill. It would be a great sign, actually, and a milestone, in fact, if members in this House were to continue to promote in 5 or 10 years’ time what is happening in the Māori Television space. There is innovation. There is excitement. If members in this House could point to a number of programmes there because they see it as reflecting the face of New Zealand, then I think that that, in itself, speaks volumes for the contribution that Māori Television makes, not only to broadcasting but to increasing the knowledge amongst many New Zealanders in many communities of just how vibrant our country is.

On 28 March next year the 10th anniversary of Māori Television will be reached. There have been some ups and downs, sure, but by and large what we have seen in the broadcasting space with the contribution of Māori Television is a clear role for a Māori broadcaster to protect and enhance Te Reo Māori, not just for Māori but for a broader range of New Zealanders. Why is this important? It is important because in our daily lives many of our children interact with all sorts of other children and they want to appreciate each others’ culture. Recognising the unique identity of our children is, I think, a step towards increasing tolerance, appreciating difference, and seeing the unique potential of our young people as they grow up in our wonderful country. I do believe that Māori Television has a part to play in this process.

Parekura Horomia was the Minister who initiated Māori Television, and he did it with a simple ambition: we want more of our kids to wake up in the morning being proud of who they are, speaking their language, and being unafraid to exercise their culture and their heritage in a way that can contribute to the well-being of their communities, their whānau, and their country.

But let me say this: the types of innovation we have seen in Māori television are like when Te Matatini, the biennial senior kapa haka competition, is live streamed as it is happening on the day. I look forward to Te Matatini being live streamed from Christchurch to many people who will not able to travel there. Also what we have seen in terms of Māori Television contributing to the public broadcasting space is the promotion of events that some New Zealanders would have to pay for—the Tua fight against Cameron, the Rugby World Cup. Those are two types of events where Māori Television said “Well, actually, this is a public event of some interest. We want to participate on this front.” I applaud its efforts to recognise that it can fill a certain niche within the public broadcasting space that contributes to the vibrancy of this country, and that opens up a world of opportunity and insight to the Māori world view and, more important, to the global view of indigenous people.

We have seen a number of innovations in the programming space. Some entertainment value has been got from my comment of being a mum of young children and being delighted that Dora the Explorer was going to be promoted in Te Reo Māori. Why? Because my children like watching all sorts of cartoons, and I am really optimistic about their ability to access cartoons in Te Reo Māori because I can continue to uphold what happens in our home, which is promoting and speaking as much Māori as possible, but at a level where my children can understand. Having access to cartoons, actually, is one of those ways of doing that.

In the Māori Affairs Committee we talked about some of the, I guess, concerns around Te Pūtahi Paoho, as I had mentioned previously, so as not to impede the bill but to raise with the Minister of Māori Affairs our concerns about the governance body. The Minister has since said that he has assured himself that this is in hand and that this is something he will ensure will be given some attention in the ongoing governance arrangement between the Crown and Te Pūtahi Paoho.

By and large, we have seen Māori Television grow at a time where its budget has flatlined. We have seen Māori Television take the necessary steps to tailor its activities, but not its imagination, to its budget. It has a Facebook page. It is engaged in Twitter. Its programming engages the audience, whether it is through Facebook and Twitter, through 0900 numbers to vote on its various shows, or by getting all sorts of people from all walks of life into its programming or into programmes that are promoted on Māori Television. I applaud that, because I believe that in a country like ours, where we have so much vibrancy and where we have so much opportunity to promote how diverse our country is, a public broadcaster should be doing this. I believe that Māori Television is doing it very well.

I do want to see Māori Television grow. I do hope that this bill is a step towards that. It is signalled within the context of this legislation that ongoing reviews will happen and should happen, with the agreement of Te Pūtahi Paoho and the responsible Ministers. But, more important, it continues to carve out a key role that Māori Television has in the broadcasting space to promote the very best of our culture, language, and heritage to every New Zealander, should they want to access it. I am delighted about the way in which the broadcasting landscape has been broadened. I look forward to the day when Pacific television emerges on that landscape, because I can see—

💬 Hon Maurice Williamson: Mister Ed in Samoan.

—that this is a real opportunity to again reinforce—the Minister may make a gibe about Mister Ed, but that is more a reflection of his time and the one-syllable sentences that people of that era understood. That is why we all find it good entertainment value. But there is no problem with having Mister Ed translated into any type of language. If it means that the Hon Maurice Williamson will watch Māori Television because of Mister Ed, then I say Māori Television has succeeded.

The real point of this contribution tonight is to say that given that Māori Television is 10 years into its operation—it has had some ups and downs, mainly ups—there is still a lot of entertainment value in this station, there is still a lot of contribution that the station can make in the broadcasting space, and there is a whole lot of opportunity for a lot of young people who see the digital age as an opportunity to engage their talent and potential in new and dynamic ways. I support the bill. I support its intent. Ki a koe te Minita, ahakoa ngā piki me ngā heke mō ngā kōrero e pā ana ki tēnei pire, nui te mihi atu ki a koe. Kia ora tātou.

[To you the Minister, regardless of the ups and downs of the speeches in respect of this bill, I acknowledge you greatly. My thanks to us.]

I also support this bill, the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill. I thank all members for their constructive contributions to the debate. I congratulate the Minister of Māori Affairs on bringing it to this point. Me whakanuia e tātou. [We should honour it.]

Bill read a third time.