Crown Minerals (Protection of World Heritage Sites) Amendment Bill

This bill is poorly thought out, it is poorly worded, and one thing about this bill is that Ruth Dyson did not ever go and consult with people like mana whenua, Ngāi Tahu iwi. She never went to the local council. We have got the mayor sitting here from the Westland District Council, and they are so worried because this bill has caused so much angst because of the fact that there are so many people who could lose from this bill if it was to go through.

Also, there is no thought as to what is already in place, particularly through conservation legislation, and particularly through Treaty settlement legislation, as well. We have to look at the mana whenua iwi situation here. If this bill went through, well, then mana whenua could be denied access into those taonga areas—and I am talking about te wāhi tapu.

So when we look at this, we actually have a plan when you look at the way that this heritage site is actually managed. Mana whenua iwi have a management plan in conjunction with the Department of Conservation. We also have to look at the Ngai Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Act, because that will also bring in disrepute about this particular bill. This bill is a travesty and should not go through. Kia ora tātou.

Saying that my bill is poorly thought out is an appropriate contribution for a member to make in the House, but having it said by that member, Nuk Korako, who introduced to the House a bill about stuff that you leave behind in airports, which was later consumed in a statutes amendment bill, is just laughable—just laughable. The ignorance and arrogance of that man beggars belief.

Let me get back to what the bill actually does, rather than what that member was portraying. There are three World Heritage sites in New Zealand—only three. This bill says that those World Heritage sites, which have reached an incredibly high bar in terms of having been made World Heritage sites, should not be open to exploration or mining. That is what this bill says. It does not say what the former Mayor of Westland District said in the local papers.

💬 Nuk Korako: Why don’t you go and talk to them?

It does not say what the National list MP who just resumed his seat said. It just says that those three—those three only—World Heritage sites should be included in schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act so that they cannot be open for exploration or mining. That is the sole purpose of the bill.

Previously, schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act was considered protection from all mining until the National Government some years ago decided that it would open up some parts of schedule 4 land and allow for mining. It decided that that protection was no longer appropriate. It had been in place for many, many years. Forty thousand New Zealanders signed a petition and thousands, particularly in Auckland, got on the street to protest the stupidity of the National Government at the time, when it was proposing to allow mining in schedule 4 - listed land.

So while this bill seeks to move those three World Heritage sites into schedule 4, we should remember that this Government, which is in place for only another 100 or so days, does not automatically respect the protection that schedule 4 gives them. The National Government did back down—

💬 Nuk Korako: What about mana whenua respect? What you need to do is go and talk to them.

The National Government did back down on that proposal to allow mining in schedule 4—

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): I apologise for interrupting. I have, in a non-verbal way, indicated to the member that he should not continue to draw me into the debate. I think he has now done it about five times. I know that he is very concerned about the issue, but he has got to speak directly to the member and not to me.

The three areas that this bill proposes to protect are Te Wāhipounamu, Tongariro National Park, and the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand. I want to ask the National members which of those three World Heritage areas they consider it is appropriate to mine in. Campbell Island—should we mine on Campbell Island? Should we mine in Tongariro National Park? Which of those three areas—World Heritage status areas—should not be granted the protection of schedule 4 in the Crown Minerals Act? What is the answer to that question? Ah, silence—absolute silence. There is no answer at all from the National members who are still going to vote against it. They cannot say why they oppose it. They read their poorly written research notes, and I bet none of them have even read the bill. None of them would have read the bill to know that its sole purpose is to protect—

💬 Nuk Korako: If you had been here last time, you would—

Order! The member’s time has expired and I will inform the member that I was here last time.

💬 Hon Ruth Dyson: Not very quick on the uptake, that one.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): I am on my feet. It is only because the member was interrupted in an inappropriate manner so many times that I will not make her apologise—a sort of one-all on the non-apologies.