Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill

I present a legislative statement on the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh): That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.

Hon ERICA STANFORD: I move, That the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill be now read a second time.

During the consultation period, I had the privilege of being a member of the Education and Workforce Committee and hearing the concerns of stakeholders in the public regarding the matters of this bill. I want to start by, first and foremost, thanking all of those who took time to make submissions on the bill. I’d also like to thank all of the other members of the committee for their consideration of this bill, which makes some very technical amendments to maintain the effectiveness of education regulatory systems, including continuing the legacy of the 28th Māori Battalion as well as benefiting learners who receive support from the Pacific Education Foundation.

The committee received nine submissions on the bill, covering a range of views and suggestions. Some of the 28th Māori Battalion company associations made submissions and provided their views on these proposals. The majority of submissions were supportive of the changes that were proposed and suggestions from submitters have made useful improvements to the bill. The committee proposed amendments to the bill that mainly refine and clarify the original provisions which were unanimously agreed to.

This bill makes changes to the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Act 1945 to confirm the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Board as the successor to the 28th Māori Battalion Association. This change will enable the board to authorise the use of words and emblems related to the 28th Māori Battalion and the 28th Māori Battalion Association under the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981.

The bill also creates a new position on the Ngarimu scholarship fund board to be held by a person of Māori descent who has or is currently serving in the armed forces. This proposal is intended to preserve the legacy and mana of the 28th Māori Battalion into the future.

The Education and Workforce Committee recommended two changes to clarify this proposal. First, the committee proposed, in addition to the bill, to state that this new position is to be appointed by the Governor-General. This provides clarity on who will be responsible for appointments to the new role. The Governor-General is the appropriate person to make this appointment as they already appoint other individual positions on the Ngarimu VC board. The Governor-General would decide who to appoint into the role on advice from the Minister of Education and in accordance with the Public Service Commission and Cabinet guidelines for appointments to boards where the Crown has an interest. This will ensure that the appointment process is transparent and consistent with other individual appointments to the Ngarimu VC board.

The committee also recommended a change to this proposal to clarify that the new position should be held by a person of Māori descent who is serving or has served in the armed forces rather than the New Zealand Defence Force more generally. The reference to armed forces in the bill relates to the definition of “armed forces” in the Defence Act 1990, which constitutes the navy, the army, and the air force, collectively. This change will make sure that the position is held by someone with a military background rather than civilian staff, to preserve the military legacy and mana of the 28th Māori Battalion.

The bill makes several amendments to the Pacific Education Foundation Act 1972. The Act governs the Pacific Education Foundation, which promotes and encourages strong education outcomes for Pacific peoples in New Zealand. The board of the foundation administers different kinds of support for Pacific peoples living in New Zealand. The changes to this bill to the Pacific education Act include amending the Act’s membership and purpose provisions to enable the foundation to more effectively promote and encourage the education of Aotearoa Pacific people.

One of the key amendments to the Pacific Education Foundation Act included in this bill is to update the definition of “Pacific person” who can receive support from the foundation. The new definition of “Aotearoa Pacific person” refers to a person with indigenous Pacific cultural heritage from a broader list of Pacific places compared to the previous definition. The bill also enables the Governor-General, on the recommendation of the Minister of Education through an Order in Council, to update this list to ensure it reflects the diverse Pacific population of New Zealand.

The committee recommended an amendment to the bill so that it sets out the factors the Minister of Education must take into account when making a recommendation to the Governor-General to make changes to this list of Pacific places. These factors include the location of the Pacific place, the population of those with indigenous cultural heritage from the place living in New Zealand, and any other consultation with that Pacific community. This change will ensure that any directions to make changes to the list of places is appropriate and transparent.

The bill also updates the foundation’s authorised expenditure for purposes not specifically identified in the Act, from $500 to $10,000 a year, as this amount hasn’t been updated since 1972. The committee has recommended a minor change to the bill, which modernises the language of this authorised expenditure provision.

The bill also makes technical amendments to two sets of regulations that impact the education sector. The first is an amendment to the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 so that the police vetting requirements for workers at limited attendance childcare centres, such as malls or gym creches, are consistent with the requirements in the Children’s Act 2014 and the Education and Training Act 2020.

The second amendment updates the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015 to include reference to the Kiwi Access Card as an acceptable form of identity, reflecting the name change of the 18+ Card. The committee did not propose any changes to either of these amendments.

The bill makes changes that uphold the mana and the legacy of the Ngarimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion, supports the work of the Pacific Education Foundation, and ensures that the education regulatory systems are fit for purpose.

Just before I finish, I’d just like to say that I, as the chair of this board, the Ngarimu board, was very honoured to host the awards ceremony last week in Gisborne where we presented about 13 awards to quite brilliant young Māori achievers. It was an absolutely fantastic day, and I know that it means so much to them and their families to be carrying that legacy with them. It’s incredible mana for them and the day couldn’t have gone better, and I’d like to say a big shout-out to the board, who put on an incredibly good awards ceremony.

And with that, Madam Speaker, I commend the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill to the House.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m delighted to take a very short call on the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill. As the Minister has pointed out, this bill has a number of changes to several Acts, and it really is one of those omnibus bills that tidies up some issues that have been seen and found within the legislation. It has made amendments to the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Act 1945, amendments to the Pacific Education Foundation Act 1972, amendments to regulations of the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015, and the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016.

Can I thank very much the work of the Education and Workforce Committee at the time in the last Parliament, who took this work through. It’s actually nearly a year to the day that the first reading of this bill occurred. It was 29 March when we had the first reading. So it’s been a wee bit of time, even though there were only nine written submissions and only three oral submissions for this particular bill.

As the Minister has quite rightly pointed out, most of the submissions were in favour of the bill. In fact, some of those that were against the bill gave no reason why they were against it. It was just a flat: “We don’t agree with this bill.” So most of the submissions that came in were very fulsome in favour of the bill itself. As the Minister has pointed out, the select committee had very minor changes that came back that tidied it up somewhat, that made it a bit more of a bill that people could see as usable and understanding of that bill.

The one thing I will say is that when the first reading did occur, almost a year ago, the then Opposition members were quite scathing of this bill and didn’t seem to think that it did much at all. I’m sure they understand now, when they’re on the other side, that sometimes there are pieces of legislation that do make the legislation better. And it doesn’t matter what they see as only minor changes to it, it is important to the people for whom this legislation allows them to operate. And that’s exactly why these changes have been made.

So I did say that I was going to take a very short call on this. I think that the bill is a very good bill and I have no hesitation in commending it to the House.

I want to, first of all, echo what my predecessor also said in terms of the different elements of this particular bill, the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill, and the fact that it’s an omnibus bill that looks at various components. Also, I was not around when this bill was going through first reading nor select committee, but upon again reading the notes to, and the Hansard of, the first reading, I am glad to see that Minister Stanford is now in support of this bill. Particularly, I am delighted to hear that she said the “wonderful and amazing and talented young Māori” that she has met as part of the award ceremony. I’m hoping that this will change her mind from the stance that she took in the first reading, that this is not going to help the achievement and the root cause of some of Māori and Pasifika performance, as we have seen in the first reading.

So, in terms of this particular bill, a couple of things I would like to bring up as well, particularly around the Ngarimu scholarships—and just to again highlight the fact that the Ngarimu scholarships are designed to inspire, reward, and support Māori achievements and their success in education. Ceremonies include doctoral, masters, undergraduate as well as vocational education and training, which is absolutely fantastic to see that it cuts across all levels of tertiary education, and also in the scholarships aimed to support the opportunities for Māori students to reach their full potential by reducing some of the financial barriers to study and/or training—again, fantastic to see.

In terms of the Pacific Education Foundation Act 1972, when we’re looking at that particular thing—and again, please indulge me as I kind of go into some of these in a little bit more depth—the general purpose of the foundation should be to promote and encourage the better education of Pacific people and to provide financial assistance for that purpose. And for that we the Green Party agree that the omnibus bill and also the results and the responses from the select committee report have achieved that.

A couple of additional things that I would like to point out that are particularly noteworthy in this particular case as we are looking at things around Māori and Pasifika student performance and also achievement are: number one, to look at the fact that the authority expenditure in this case for the Pacific Education Foundation Act has increased from $500 to $10,000 in reflection of the inflation, but also, most importantly, in reflection to the cost of our education. I think I would like to take this opportunity to remind people again that in these cases they shouldn’t have to take foundations and funding, that education should be a public good and it should be free for all students.

The authority for unspecified expenditure in this case particularly was used for making grants for uniforms and other equipment to Pacific learners and their families. Again, I would like to point people to the recent investigation by the University of Otago around the cost of new uniforms, which can range, on average, from $80 to over $1,200 per single student. I am an educator, after all, and I know the kind of financial burden it places on the students and their whānau.

There are also several steps that I think the New Zealand Government needs to take to actually alleviate some of this when it comes to school uniforms, including making subsidies for uniform costs more accessible and less bureaucratic, and the Government should legislate this particular State funding for school uniforms for high-needs students.

The other angle to look at in this particular bill, which I think we hear in this House repeatedly, is that the independence of Māori and Pasifika funding sources in this case is absolutely crucial—on their funding sources that are determined by Māori and/or Pasifika for Māori and Pasifika. In this particular case, I would like to highlight the Ministry of Education submission, which is that this particular move is informed by wider engagement and discussions with Pacific communities through the Ministry of Education and, most importantly, the Ministry for Pacific Peoples from 2018 to 2023.

So, with all of that in mind, again, the Green Party is in support of this particular bill. And, most importantly, we are in support of the fact that we are looking at better opportunities for our Māori and Pasifika students, as well as their families, in order to get the best educational outcome. Thank you.

Thank you. I stand in support of the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill. This is, essentially, an omnibus bill, and it’s essential that we have our education regulatory systems fit for purpose. So we definitely stand in support of this.

I acknowledge that they’re just minor changes, especially to the 28th Māori Battalion to preserve its mana into the future. Hardly any members of the battalion are still alive today, so this update in the legislation will ensure that Māori soldiers or veterans are represented on the board for the future.

In relation to the Pacific Education Foundation, this bill will expand the list of Pacific people to encompass the true representation of who Pacific people are today here in New Zealand and who may now benefit. It updates the board’s constitution and expenditure, which hasn’t actually been updated since 1972. So we feel that is very fair to do so.

When it comes to the amendments to the Health and Safety at Work Act, for the regulations to ensure that police vets and risk assessments are undertaken for workers at limited-attendance childcare centres before they begin work, we feel that this is very fair. It will create consistency and will bring it in line with other children’s workers’ requirements. And that goes for the same thing around the safety checks. We think that it’s very fair that the 18+ card is an acceptable form of identity, with the Kiwi Access card as well, to reflect the name change that has occurred.

So a really short call, but, in essence, we support this bill, and I commend it to the House. Thank you.

One of the things I’m enjoying about being a new parliamentarian is learning about all of these laws and pieces of legislation, many that I’ve never heard about. I’m very pleased to be speaking on this, because this is one that has educated me quite a lot. I’ve made some really great notes, which I’m going to share, because I feel that is something that will not only reinforce the value of this legislation but it will also enable me to remember it a bit more as I’m explaining it to others, because I really do like to share with everyone what I do when I’m in the House.

New Zealand First is going to support the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill—

Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Well, you are in Government.

TANYA UNKOVICH: Oh, did I hear a heckle over there? No, not yet. No, not a heckle.

Hon Member: Do you want me to heckle you?

TANYA UNKOVICH: No, I don’t need any heckling. No, just be kind.

Hon Members: Great job! Great job!

TANYA UNKOVICH: Oh dear, heckling from behind. That’s something I didn’t expect, Madam Speaker.

This bill addresses key regulatory frameworks within the education sector, aiming to streamline processes and improve governance structures. Now, the bill seeks to enhance the effectiveness of existing legislation and also to better serve the needs of students, educators, and educational institutions.

Now, this bill makes changes this way: it amends the Pacific Education Foundation Act 1972 by updating things such as eligibility criteria and also fostering greater education and opportunities. The other bill that is amended is the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Act 1945, also known as the Ngarimu Act. This ensures proper recognition and support for veterans and their contributions, and it’s one way to ensure that their legacy remains as well, which is incredibly important.

This bill also strengthens safety protocols by updating regulations governing safety checks for childcare workers. Now, everyone wants to ensure that their children are safe, so this is a very important part of the bill. This will ensure that there are heightened standards, and also it will give piece of mind for parents and guardians. Now, these targeted changes aim to address specific needs within the education sector, promoting efficiency for all involved. To be a little bit more specific, the bill will amend the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016—that’s another thing I’ve had to learn as a new parliamentarian: to be able to say these long names. This is done to ensure a requirement to ensure that there is a police vet and to conduct a risk assessment for any workers at a limited attendance childcare centre. This will be done before they commence work—it is an extra precaution.

The other thing that this bill amends is the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015 to include an additional reference to Kiwi access cards, reflecting the name change of the 18-plus card.

So how does New Zealand First feel about this? Well, New Zealand First, as a party, we’re very committed to equitable and efficient processes and regulations.

Hon Rachel Brooking: Good to hear!

TANYA UNKOVICH: Yes, we are indeed. And we always support sustainable development that enhances the wellbeing of all New Zealanders. New Zealand First—in our principles we prioritise collaboration, transparency, and accountability. That is very important, especially when it comes to regulatory processes. So we ensure that the policies are implemented fairly and effectively. New Zealand First also believes in the importance of access to education, for all New Zealanders, to ensure lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Hon Scott Simpson: It’s in the coalition agreement too.

TANYA UNKOVICH: I believe that it is.

Hon Scott Simpson: Very good.

TANYA UNKOVICH: Yes, I believe it is. So why would we support this bill? Well, New Zealand First—we believe that the proposed amendments aim to enhance the governance structures and they promote equitable access to education, particularly in the rural areas and areas where people cannot get to easily. Also, it aligns with our policies to improve access to education and support, as I’ve said—lifelong learning opportunities for all. It reaffirms our commitment to building a quality public education system. That is something that we really want—all of us in the coalition—and we want to prioritise and ensure the wellbeing of all New Zealanders, which is why I will take the honour of commending this bill to the House on behalf of New Zealand First.

This next call is a split call. The first call I’ve got—the Green Party is the second call, so I’ll take Dr Hamish Campbell.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is a great pleasure to rise to my feet to talk about the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill. It’s always a great topic when we come to talk about education. I think education is the key to actually lifting the quality of life of all people, and it’s actually something that was a key theme of my maiden statement. I think it’s very important, education, so I’m very grateful that I’ve been given this opportunity to stand up and talk about this amendment bill. A lot has been mentioned about this bill already. It’s talking about maintaining the mana of the Māori Battalion and the legacy that they have forged in the theatres of war; we much honour their sacrifices that we have freedom because of their willingness to go to war.

Hon Scott Simpson: This Parliament is a war memorial as well.

Dr HAMISH CAMPBELL: Yeah, actually, that’s a good point. This Parliament is a war memorial, and we honour not just the Māori Battalion but all battalions that have fought for our safety and our freedom.

But getting back to this bill, of course, the policy objective of this bill is to maintain the effectiveness and efficiency of the regulatory systems established by the principal Acts that it amends. And I appreciate that’s a very complicated way of saying that really what we need to do is modernise this legislation that will stop the need for us to have to keep on coming back and editing it or modifying it, amending it. We need to make sure that we modernise it to make sure that we can keep that mana going forward.

Now, of course, there’s a whole range of things that this bill is going to do, but I think probably we do have support right across the House, which is great. But I think it is great that we can actually have scholarships which we can then give out to students, which can give them encouragement to continue on into education so they can reach the aspirations and dreams that they have. And, of course, it was just last night that, actually, we had Rocket Lab here at Parliament, and we think of the students that now can reach for the stars. We can definitely encourage more students into STEM and actually help lift the quality of life of all New Zealanders. But I do digress. I appreciate it is very much a passion of mine that we do increase our scientific literacy of our students.

But this bill contains a range of minor and technical changes, as I say, aimed at modernising and updating legislation. And, of course, we’ve talked about this scholarship fund Act broadening the range, updating the definition of a Pacific person who can benefit from this foundation. I think it’s very important that we acknowledge that and can continue to elevate Pacific people in New Zealand. And, of course, we’ve talked about changing the name of the ID card. Just once again, this shows that we need to make sure that this is a modernised piece of legislation that will actually achieve what we need it to do.

All parties have indicated their support for this bill, and I do believe there have been some submissions through the select committee process—all in favour of this.

Hon Scott Simpson: With unanimity across the House.

Katie Nimon: Amazing.

Dr HAMISH CAMPBELL: It’s absolutely amazing. I think really the key messages are we need to preserve the legacy and the mana of the 28th Māori Battalion into the future, we need to support the work of the Pacific Education Foundation, and we need to ensure that the education regulatory systems are fit for purpose. And so, therefore, I commend this bill to the House.

It’s a pleasure to rise in support of the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill. Like other Opposition MPs, I’d like to welcome the National Party speakers to the right side of supporting this piece of legislation. I was looking at the Hansard record of the proceeding, and there were some really interesting comments. But before I touch on some of those comments, I did want to acknowledge the comments from my colleague Lawrence, who spoke earlier around the importance of the independence of Māori and Pasifika funding sources and that those are determined by Māori and Pasifika for their own communities, and also recognising the importance of the Ngarimu scholarships and how they actually resource and inspire Māori students and celebrate Māori achievement.

Which then takes me to the other points of the speakers from the first reading, because I think this bill is actually about lifting achievement. It is about celebrating and supporting Māori and Pasifika students. And yet in the first reading, there were several comments from the Minister when she was in Opposition. She said, “Again, some noble intentions, but misses the main point of the fact that our kids can’t do reading, writing, and math.” And she also said, “Nothing in this bill around achievement for Māori and Pasifika—again, a missed opportunity.” For example, if we look at Penny Simmonds’ comments in the first reading, she said, “Well, here we are again debating things with little to do with education without hitting the real issues in the education sectors, but, however, we’ll have another go at it.”

I think, to me, this just talks about the need for members to engage with bills in a substantive way so that they actually look at the legislation in a way that is accurate. I don’t know if it was submitters actually helping them to open their eyes or the advice that the Minister received now that she’s in Government, but I’m really pleased to see that now we’ve gotten to a place where we’re all supporting this bill. And this will be one of the few times that I’ll be commending the ACT Party, because I was looking at the Hansard record and I’m glad to see that they had at least a consistent position in this piece of legislation, which is great. We do support people being consistent with their values, but when they’re not, at least it’s good to see them come to the right side.

But coming back to the bill. This is a bill that we are happy to support because, ultimately, what it does is it updates support that exists for Māori and Pacific students. It continues ensuring that we celebrate that achievement. And, at the end of the day, as Lawrence said, there is more that we have to do to ensure that our education system is fully accessible for all, but ultimately the things that we’re updating here and maintaining the effectiveness and efficiency of the regulatory system still support that broader participation of people in the education system. For those reasons, we commend this bill to the House.

I’m really pleased to be standing here to speak to the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill, and specifically to shed some light on some context. On Friday, I was really privileged to join Minister Stanford in Gisborne to attend the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships awards. For those of you that don’t know, my electorate goes all the way up into Gisborne and boundaries with that of my good friend and colleague Dana Kirkpatrick, to the southern area of Gisborne District. So I was very privileged to be there and present with my friend Dana, who knows so many of the community. It’s quite amazing to see her be greeted by people with such joy. It was a real privilege to be there.

Erica did a fantastic job of acknowledging the very importance of, particularly, the 28th Māori Battalion but also the Ngarimu VC scholarship awards and the history, and some real history was shared on this particular scholarship fund while we were there. One of the points—and there were so many points; the whole ceremony was five hours, in the glorious Gisborne sunshine, might I add. The history was that there was money put aside in recognition of Ngarimu after his life was lost in the war, to acknowledge the descendants of his family. I believe that about £7,500 was raised by parliamentarians at the time in support. And with inflation, I think you could calculate it, it would be in the millions in terms of what money was raised. As that has gone on over time, it has raised a significant amount, so we’ve actually been able to contribute to the careers of the most incredible, bright, young Māori people.

I just make a point as to why some of these changes in this bill are so important. One young gentleman, Heremia McGarvey, I met at Lake Waikaremoana earlier this year when I was with Minister Potaka—[Interruption] Yes, a fantastic Minister. We were opening the Lake Waikaremoana track with Tūhoe iwi. Heremia is part of that iwi, and I met him there. I thought, “What an impressive young man. He’s going to go a really long way.” I have to say it was one of the most proud moments when I sat down in the audience at the awards on Friday to see Heremia McGarvey’s name in the programme, receiving a scholarship. He is studying law in Wellington, and I thought, “My gosh, he really is an impressive young man.”

This award recognises men like him and some of the other men and women who receive these scholarships. They were not just undergraduates. There were also those with a doctorate, a Master’s, vocational education, and there were some incredible video acknowledgments made. One was to the head girl of Rangitoto College, which the Minister acknowledged herself, being a former student of Rangitoto College as well.

The point here in this bill is the change that is necessary to be made, which is to modernise the language so that we can protect organisations like this. The descendants are very important to this, and it was hosted at C Company Memorial House. But it’s important that the fund is administered and acknowledged to be in the right place. The other thing to add—and we were very privileged to have Willie Apiata VC in our presence. It was an incredible thing, I’ve got to say. One of the highlights of my day was meeting Willie Apiata, a true hero—and, yes, he is tall. He spoke off the cuff. He didn’t know he was meant to be speaking and he spoke off the cuff to his experiences and why this scholarship award is so important. He made the point so perfectly himself that you’ve got to keep this going so that those that receive it and those that go on to receive it understand how important it is and what it means to the future of these young people—and, actually, they are not all young people. Some are incredibly successful people in their 50s and 60s who have led incredible lives and continue to study and contribute.

I’ve made acknowledgment of the board members and so one of the points in this bill is about the board members of the Ngarimu VC scholarship and the scholarship fund Act. Of course, we have representatives from Māori electorates, many of whom were there on the day. I acknowledge my colleague Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, who is the member for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and was there representing her electorate. I think the point is that we’ve got our Minister of Education, our Māori electorate MPs, and we have also got representatives from the various companies within 28th Māori Battalion. But to have a new Māori representative position on the board, this is fundamental.

Just to draw your attention to it, there is on the board someone that has served or is currently serving in the New Zealand Defence Force. Now, that might be one Willie Apiata VC. Now, I’m not going to do the Governor-General’s job and decide who it is that’s going to take that position. But it felt quite interesting to me, sitting in the audience and wondering why it was that he wasn’t on the board. He was such a significant part of that organisation. He was there representing, but it’s because there is not a provisional place for him on the board. Now, this amendment would allow that. Now, as I say, that’s not to say that he necessarily will take that board position, but for this amendment to create a position for him, I think, is something that will take this bill a really long way. So, look, I say that that particular aspect of the bill is really important to me, and I say I have experience with it—just to see the importance of what happens when you really continue the legacy of something so fundamental to our country.

There is something to point out on the next aspect—and, obviously, this is a three-part bill. A lot of people have referred to it as an omnibus bill. It does cover a lot of points, but the next aspect is the Pacific Education Foundation. This is something really interesting, and I’ve made a couple of points here. Under the Pacific Education Foundation, the amount that was meant for each financial year hasn’t been changed since 1972. My good friend and colleague Hamish Campbell made the point of modernising this bill so we don’t have to keep changing it. What we’re doing here is allowing ourselves to have this information change with time without having to constantly go back in and make further changes.

Another point to make is about the “Aotearoa Pacific person”, a person who is living in New Zealand, who is granted a permanent residence but is from a Pacific nation. Now, I think this is really interesting to acknowledge. We’ve got an upcoming trip, a delegation, to the Pacific Islands. Actually, it’s a Speaker’s delegation, and one of the countries that we are visiting is Niue. There’s a really interesting background on Niue: 1,950 people live in Niue but more of them live in New Zealand. It’s important for us to acknowledge those people under this programme.

I hear members opposite scoffing at this, but, actually, this was their bill, and had this bill gone through under their time, I have no doubt they would speaking to all these points in such depth. Now, all of a sudden it doesn’t sound as important to them as it did when this bill was under their watch.

There are some really fantastic aspects to this bill, and I think that it’s important that I highlight these. Unfortunately, some of these things are really necessary for us to change and one of the points that I’ve got here is about the childcare centres. I am actually—and it’s amazing that it’s taken me this long to bring it up—the chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, and just recently we heard from the Associate Minister of Education who’s responsible for early childcare education centres. What’s been identified during his time as the Minister is that for some of these childcare centres that are attached to, perhaps, gyms, for example, or malls, actually it hasn’t been a requirement for these people to have police vetting. And so it’s really important. Some of the interesting information in this bill is that employers—although they’re already required to police vet, it’s not before they start employment.

I know from my experience managing a bus company that you have to vet all of your staff. It is a fundamental part, but, actually, they need multiple police vets. If you were a firefighter and you were a bus driver, you need to have two checks. It doesn’t matter that you don’t need to necessarily go across both of those. And so when you start in one of these roles, it’s so fundamental that you are checked by police. My good friend and colleague Carl Bates, known in Whanganui as the “everywhere man”, has two young children in early childhood education, and an example for him would be knowing that if he were to take his children, when he was going to the gym, to a childcare centre, they would have the same health and safety expectations and that his children would be safe and with people who are fit and proper. Just to summarise the points we’ve got here, there are three key aspects to this bill, and I think it’s really good.

Thank you very much for the call, Madam Speaker. I didn’t think I was going to get an opportunity, such was the passion of the chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Katie Nimon, on matters relating, somewhat, adjunctly, tangentially to the subject matter of this bill.

But this is a good bill and I was very pleased to be on the select committee when we considered this bill, and I want to acknowledge—

Hon Member: Oh, were you the chair, then?

CAMILLA BELICH: Yeah, I was actually the chair then, and I just want to acknowledge the Minister at the time, Jan Tinetti, who brought this bill to the House, and also acknowledge the current Minister, who was actually on the committee when we considered it, as well. So it’s a very interesting bill.

One of the things that I have learnt being in Parliament is that this particular bill is an omnibus bill. It does lots of things that might be considered minor to some people but, as members have elucidated in their speeches, some are very significant things to particular groups, including the 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund. So there are some very important things in here.

I won’t go, as other members have, through every aspect of this bill, but two aspects that I wanted to highlight are, firstly, the regulatory changes in relation to early childhood education. It is really important to have good, solid safety regulations in early childhood education—perhaps one of the most important areas that we regulate in New Zealand. In education, some of the most important regulations are in that early childhood space. The reason that those are so important is because they help to keep some of the most vulnerable people in our society safe. When we take our children to childcare centres, as many in this House have done in the past, do currently do, or will do in the future, we need to be absolutely certain that all of the checks and balances are in place to ensure the safety of those children.

It’s been heartening to see the change of tone from members opposite in relation to these regulatory matters. We have heard a lot of criticism about regulations in early childhood education recently from members of the coalition Government. I would just like to emphasise at this point that this shows how important regulations are. Of course people should go through a police check when they are looking after your children, even if it’s for a short period of time in a mall or a gym or other such location. So it just shows you that when we talk about regulations, some of them can be incredibly important.

I want to commend the former Minister Jan Tinetti for bringing this bill to the House. I want to commend the committee for considering it, as we did very carefully. We looked at a lot of the definition words very carefully, we heard from representatives from the 28th Māori Battalion, we made sure that we took this bill—although it’s not a bill that’s going to revolutionarily change the country, we took it really seriously, and we did, I feel, bring back a few changes. But also, having gone through that scrutiny process, which is so important, we were assured that this bill does what it says on the tin.

So the only thing I just wanted to lastly talk about, which hasn’t been mentioned, is that this is a very unusual bill in that it has a picture of an emblem as part of the bill, which is 28th Māori Battalion and a picture of that in Schedule 1. I just want to draw the House’s attention to that, because it is quite unusual to see a pictorial element of a particular piece of legislation in the bill, and very beautiful and full of history. So I just want to acknowledge all those, as other people in the House have, who served in the Māori Battalion, and those who continue to focus on the Māori Battalion’s legacy as this bill does. I commend it to the House.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for giving me the opportunity this evening to speak on the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill.

Hon Member: An important bill.

CARL BATES: It is an important bill, and it reminded me, actually, my wonderful colleague the MP down there in Christchurch, Hamish Campbell—

Cameron Brewer: Doctor.

CARL BATES: Dr Hamish Campbell—thank you—Dr Hamish Campbell speaking about maiden speeches, and it reminded me of something that I said in my maiden speech: that this House must make choices about what the role of Government is and what it is not. We cannot and should not do everything, nor attempt to solve every problem. And it’s bills like this that make sure our legislation is clear about what the Government will do and what it won’t do, what the responsibility of the board is and what the responsibility of the board is not. And I think, as we navigate our way through legislation and regulation in this House, it’s important to reflect on that pivotal moment at the beginning of our journey in this House, about why we are here and what it is that we intend on achieving while we’re here.

That brings me to my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee. I just have to acknowledge the great mahi of our chairwoman, Katie Nimon—her excellent speech just before where she traversed this bill, I think, very fully—and I acknowledge her recognition of those members who have families and have children and how a bill like this will just fix that little challenge that there is when it comes to childcare. But I’ll come back to that, colleagues, a little later in my opportunity to share this evening.

I also want to acknowledge the great member for the Wairarapa, great new member, outstanding member, one of my rural and provincial colleagues, Madam Speaker, as are you, from one of the strong national parks of the country. And, Mike, it’s been great learning from you on the Education and Workforce Committee. You always have questions that really do hone in on the challenge that we’re identifying. And, of course, to Grant “McNational”, I’m looking forward to your contribution on this bill this evening.

I also want to acknowledge Minister Erica Stanford, Minister of Education and chair of the Ngarimu Trust. I think the opportunity that Katie Nimon and Dana Kirkpatrick had last week to be in her presence when she spoke about the value of these scholarships and the opportunity that they provide for the recipients sounded like it was really an event not to be missed. I know what it takes to drive long distances in a provincial electorate to get to events like these. And I just want to acknowledge the work of our two members, of Napier and of East Coast, to get to an event such as that and ensure that those 12—am I correct? Twelve? Thirteen?

Katie Nimon: Twelve.

CARL BATES: Twelve recipients on the day—yep, 12 or thereabouts—were well recognised by the local members.

I also touched briefly in my maiden speech on a business that I’d been involved in founding, and that happened to be in the space of creating boards and appointing boards. So, with the amendment in this bill this evening, around the addition of the role of the Governor-General in appointing an additional member to the trust board of Māori descent, it just takes me back to that time. I spent 16 years, in fact, being involved in appointing boards here in New Zealand and around the world.

The role of having diversity in the boardroom is really important, particularly when it relates to the history and the reason for existence of the trust of the organisation, and I think it’s a great step this evening that we are ensuring that opportunity to have the appointment to this trust of someone of Māori descent to carry on that legacy of the 28th Māori Battalion. It is really important to ensure that the right individuals receive these scholarships.

In fact, late last year, I suppose, as part of the “Mr Everywhere”—thank you, Katie Nimon, that you referred to before—I happened to be in Stratford and I attended the air cadets’ final parade for the year. It was the first time a local member of Parliament had attended their final parade in Stratford in a number of years. In fact, it was long ago; they couldn’t remember the last time a local member of Parliament had attended their final parade. But it makes me wonder whether one of those young men or women could be a future recipient of this scholarship. So I’m looking forward to seeing in the years to come who the recipients of these scholarships are.

I want to come to the third part of this bill, which is around the addition of the police-vetting amendment. The amendment is to ensure that not only do all childcare workers in these part-time facilities have to be police-vetted but that they are police-vetted before being employed. I think, personally, that that’s quite a critical point. There’s no point in employing the person, adding to the red tape of that small business or that business that’s providing this service to parents like myself and my wonderful wife, Candice—it’s ensuring that they’ve had that police vet before they’re actually employed.

Indeed, Candice and I used these a lot, particularly when we lived in South Africa. The particular gym that we used to go to had one of these facilities where you could have your child go into it for half an hour, an hour, or a couple of hours, and they were fantastic. They gave us the opportunity to actually get that bit of time to keep healthy and fit and engaged. But what made me wonder was what would parents be able to do now with the confidence that they could have their young children or tamariki go in and spend an hour, a half an hour, or two hours in the confidence that they were being looked after by people who had been police-vetted, and I had, I suppose, what you would call an epiphany. I realised—[Interruption] This’ll be good, guys. I realised that they’re going to be able to take that opportunity to go and spend—because many of these parents will be from households earning under $180,000, and they will be able to take their FamilyBoost tax credit and they’ll be able to go and spend it. They’ll actually be able to take some money that the Government has given them, with the confidence and the safety of knowing that their children are being—

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh): Can I just bring the member back to this particular bill.

CARL BATES: I will come back, Madam Speaker. But I just thought that that was such an important context that parents will be able to use that, because they know and have confidence that their children are being looked after by people who have been police-vetted. It’s critical. But I won’t go on then to just share the detail of that announcement around FamilyBoost with the House to sort of demonstrate and reinforce the point about why parents will have that confidence, and I will, as you request, come back maybe the more substantive point of the bill.

So I want to just talk about the preservation of the mana of our 28th Māori Battalion, because the other—[Interruption] And I want to acknowledge the presence—oh, I’m not allowed to acknowledge the presence, but I want to acknowledge the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, our great MP for Northcote. Northcote is pleased to have a new MP in Dan Bidois, and I’m looking forward, actually, next week to taking him to meet some of, potentially, the cadets that I spoke about when he was in the wonderful electorate of Whanganui.

But I want to talk about the mana of the 28th Māori Battalion in terms of the protection of their name, because having been in businesses that have had to protect their trademarks over many years, I understand the importance of names and badges. As my colleague from the other side of the House referenced earlier, I think it’s outstanding that this bill is ensuring that there is clarity around the ownership—who is holding and who is looking after that badge and that name for years to come—and it won’t be a lack of clarity in that regard.

Finally, I just want to touch very briefly on the change in recognition for Pasifika people in New Zealand. We have a much broader remit now for the scholarships for those who have the opportunity to apply for—

The member’s time has expired. This call is a split call.

Lau afioga, Fofoga Fetalai. Fa‘afetai lava mo le avanoa. Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei—seek the treasure you value most dearly; if you bow your head, let it be to lofty mountains.

I am very pleased to take a short call on this bill, and I won’t traverse all the points that have been raised by colleagues across the House. What the bill does is it’s an omnibus bill that brings together three Acts and two sets of regulations. As a Pasifika person raised in Aotearoa, I wanted to just touch on a few points of who will benefit from this amendment bill, and it’s really important that as a representative from the Pasifika community and also living in South Auckland, it has huge benefits.

It’s really important for my colleagues, some of whom have travelled the world in terms of their own caucus, but I know on this side of the House we’re very pleased that this bill is a good bill, it has a lot of benefits, and it needed to be updated with the important changes. As a member of the previous Education and Workforce Committee, it was important that we have the kōrero. I want to acknowledge our previous Minister of Education, Jan Tinetti, but also the current Minister of Education, who was also a member of the select committee at that time.

And so, the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill—it’s important that this House understands that many of our tupulaga, many of our talavou, many of our young people across the motu, there’s actually a growing number in terms of their whakapapa. They’re actually from Pasifika and iwi. And so that is a growing population, and this bill will benefit some of those students.

I do want to acknowledge and recognise now the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Scholarship Fund Board because the tupuaga, or where this fund has come from—it’s really important that some of our rangatahi, some of our talavou have got some real challenges when it comes to education accessibility and this bill will benefit those young people.

The importance of the relationship of Pasifika with tuakana tuahine—there are many in our future that will carry that legacy of Aotearoa. When we went through the first amendment on select committee, it was the definition of Aotearoa Pasifika person. What this bill does is update that just in terms of recognising that definition, but also the distinction of a Pacific person in Aotearoa that they had to meet those regulations. So what is important in the changing demographics is that it is a recognition of Pasifika young people or an Aotearoa Pasifika person, and they understand what they can apply for in terms of tertiary education.

And the other, final point is around the change of what it used to be, the authorised expenditure of $500; it will now be changed to $10,000 because it hadn’t been updated since 1972.

Just lastly, on this side of the House, my Labour colleagues, including myself, have traversed across Aotearoa, because we’ve attended all of the Pasifika festivals that have been going for quite some time, probably the last couple of months: Northland, Dunedin, recently Pasifika Festival, and last week, ASB Polyfest. Over 100,000 young people attended those and this bill will benefit many of those young people, and we wish them every success. Fa‘afetai.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have real pleasure in speaking to this bill, and I’d like to acknowledge those that have fought and sacrificed so much for our country, including the 28th Māori Battalion for whom this bill will continue to support and honour their legacy. This bill’s about ensuring legislation—some written in the mid-1900s—is still able to do the job that it was intended to do. This bill also takes an omnibus approach and makes changes not only to the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Act 1945 and the Pacific Education Foundation Act 1972 to ensure continued support for learning but also to the Ngarimu Act to clear up legal confusion over who can manage the use of the Māori Battalion’s names and emblems and to the Pacific Education Foundation.

The minor amendments will continue to allow an education path for those that received funding through these Acts, and it’s quite simply a logical step to take. It’s also intended that these minor changes will assist to uphold the mana of the 28th Battalion and preserve their legacy into the future. Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion memorial scholarships are awarded annually in honour of the battalion for the education of any Māori or for the purpose of promoting the study and encouraging the maintenance of the Māori language and of Māori history, tradition, and culture.

These scholarships exemplify excellence in education as well as service and commitment to the community, with applicants assessed on their ability to describe characteristics they possess that are similar to those of the 28th Māori Battalion soldiers. In the 2021-22 year, 10 scholarships were awarded to deserving recipients who have offered the following insights into the value they offer. I quote: “Receiving the Ngarimu scholarship and being recognised and identified as a Māori individual with similar characteristics to those who voluntarily fought and supported the 28th Māori Battalion in response to Great Britain’s call to arms is a great honour and privilege.” And I quote again: “I associate this scholarship with academic excellence, hard work, resilience, and a hunger to serve. I look at the name of the scholarship and admire the long list of whānau members who have served within the 28th Māori Battalion. This scholarship will give me the resources necessary to complete my degree.”

And I quote again: “The scholarship will not only benefit me and my studies but also be a tribute to my whānau, as I will be one of the first to gain a qualified trade, and that is a huge privilege. I am grateful beyond words to be a recipient of this prestigious award.” And I quote again: “This award emphasises the courage, struggles, and the sacrifices our tūpuna went through to ensure a better life for us.” For another participant, the story is closer to home, with their father having served in C company of the 28th Māori Battalion, and I quote: “Receiving this scholarship allows me to honour him. The scholarship is a reminder of the soldiers who have passed on in their legacy for us to remain connected to our marae, whānau, hapū, and iwi.”

This bill’s been through a rigorous select committee process, which included the bill being examined for quality. Public submissions were called for and closed. The report was subsequently released, and it unanimously passed its select committee process. I would like to finish with a final quote from another scholarship recipient, and I quote: “I intend to honour them with this award by ensuring that I maintain these traits and characteristics by utilising them not only in my studies but also in my daily life.” Madam Speaker, I commend this bill to the House.

Kia ora, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the opportunity to speak on this particular bill. I’m excited, as a former board member of the Ngarimu VC trust—

Arena Williams: And recipient.

Hon PEENI HENARE: —and recipient—and also sitting next to a recipient—and also the grandson of the final commander of the 28th Māori Battalion. It truly is an honour to be able to speak to this, and while I endorse all of the words across the House about the need for the modernisation, sadly, the modernisation wasn’t just brought about by the need to make sure that the trust can function in the modern environment, but, sadly, it was brought about because of the passing of the vast majority of the survivors of the 28th Māori Battalion. In fact, we only have one left—Sir Bom Gillies—and it was recognised a number of years ago, under the leadership of Nolan Raihania, that the Māori Battalion trust could no longer continue, because there just weren’t enough survivors of the war to be able to continue to administrate for the trust. Therefore, there was a need to make sure that the function and the symbols and the songs and everything else that’s held dear to the Māori Battalion can be cared for.

And it was seen, actually at the time under the leadership of the Hon Hekia Parata and then under the leadership of the Hon Kelvin Davis and then, of course, more recently of my colleague the Hon Jan Tinetti—to make sure that we can modernise the trust, to make sure that it can, one, function in the new environment; two, continue to protect much of the old taonga, the treasure of the symbols that have already been mentioned and are in a schedule to this particular bill. Because what’s happened—and, Mr Speaker, you and I, we’ve seen this; we’ve been to the Ōtara market. While I appreciate what some of our very clever relations are doing in selling clothing that symbolises what’s dear to Māori, they’ve taken the Māori Battalion symbol and changed the words on it to be about te reo Māori. And while I don’t begrudge them for doing that, because, of course, our tupuna fought for te reo Māori when they went to World War II, it was important to ensure that the honour and the tapu of that particular symbol was protected, which is why it was important not only to shift the symbol into the Ngarimu VC trust, but if the members want to dig a little bit deeper, they’ll find many of the songs that I know many of us know the words to are also protected by the trust—songs like “Māori Battalion March to Victory”—

Hon Members: Keep going!

Hon PEENI HENARE: —so that the copyright for those songs actually belongs to the trust. Hey! You know, seeing as we’re name-dropping I can do a bit more. But it is important—we see cultural appropriation or misappropriation of cultural goods and taonga ever more prevalent in today’s society. So protecting these is actually what we’re doing in this particular bill, and I’m really proud—as a former board member and a recipient, and sitting next to my friend and colleague here, a recipient as well—to continue to honour the fine men and women who serve in the defence force. Giving the opportunity for a current or past serving member to be able to be part of the board is really important to continue to bring the defence force element into the consideration. And I can say that as when I was a board member, I was also the Minister of Defence at the time, and the Defence Force holds the memory of the Māori Battalion dearly. In fact, the evidence is being heard right now in claim Wai 2500, which recently sat on Mōtatau Marae four weeks ago to hear about the experience of veterans from the Māori Battalion.

I don’t want to continue to prolong this. There’s agreement right across the House for a very important bill to bring the likes of the Ngarimu scholarship board into the future, but also to remember and to protect the taonga of the past. I heard the member for Napier talk about perhaps the opportunity there might be for Willie Apiata VC to serve on the board. He’s already a strong adviser and supporter of the board. And I just wanted to make clear to that member that Willie Apiata’s great-grandmother and my great-grandfather are brother and sister, so, yeah, name-dropping. But I think the purpose of that is just to show how rich this heritage is, not just for this country but for this House. As we look around the names on the walls of this whare, we remember the battles of the likes of Ngarimu VC, who died in the Tunisia campaign, and it’s important that we continue to make sure that we protect this taonga into the future, and I commend this bill to the House.

It’s with a great privilege I rise to speak on this bill, the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill. And I’d, again, like to acknowledge the great work of the Education and Workforce Committee.

I’d like to acknowledge the work of the current select committee, where we have our great chair, Katie Nimon. The MP for Napier does great work. She even manages to talk about buses in a speech like this, which I thought was quite incredible. Then there is the “everywhere man”, our deputy chair, Carl Bates, from Whanganui. He has to tell me he’s everywhere, but he’s everywhere but here right now. And then there is the great MP for Wairarapa, Mike Butterick—a man who does actually go everywhere. He works really hard for his people, and I would like to acknowledge him. And the other member of the committee on our side of the House is Dr Parmjeet Parmar, a list MP for ACT. It’s great to have her on the committee as well.

Look, I think it’s important, with this bill—I thought I’d start off, because the Māori Battalion actually has a very significant part to play in our history. I think it’s really important. So what the bill is doing is really establishing and recognising that—helping recognise that and the importance and the history of that. And as was acknowledged by the previous speaker, this Chamber recognises a lot of the battles that the Māori Battalion fought in. For example, we have El Alamein up behind us, Cassino along there. These were great battles. And the members of the Māori Battalion really fought with pride and did their people and our country proud.

In fact, I’ve got a few little notes here about the history of the Māori Battalion. It was formed in October 1939. The Government agreed to establish an all-Māori unit, and they called it the 28th Māori Battalion. And Māori were eager to prove their equality with their Pākehā comrades as warriors and to earn the full benefits and privileges of citizenship, which seems ironic given some of the discussions we have today. Even in 1939, the Māori sense of being accepted as equals with the New Zealanders was marginal, which seems quite incredible.

The Māori Battalion was organised on tribal lines under tribal leaders. Overall command initially went to George Dittmer, a Pākehā professional soldier and First World War veteran. At first, there was some resentment towards a European commander, but this was rapidly overcome by Dittmer’s professional competence and strict discipline. Later in the war, the battalion was commanded by a number of Māori officers, including lieutenant colonels Tiwi Love, Fred Baker, Charles Bennett, Reta Keiha, Peter Awatere, and Sir James Hēnare. I think it’s a privilege to have you in the House here today, sir. Thank you.

The battalion trained for three months at the Palmerston North Showgrounds. And on 1 May 1940, approximately 780 members of the Māori Battalion left for Egypt as part of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, second echelon. It would be followed by 12 contingents of reinforcements and remain on active service for almost six years. The battalion was diverted to the United Kingdom for the rest of 1940 to help defend southern England.

And then into the battles. But actually there were battles in Greece—also up here—Crete, and North Africa. In 1941, the battalion departed from England for North Africa. From Egypt, it embarked on its baptism of fire: the defence of Greece. After its first battle at Olympus Pass, the battalion made an exhausting withdrawal, evacuating to the island of Crete. In the Battle of Crete, the Māori soldiers developed a reputation as feared opponents in close quarters combat, and it was a reputation that continued to follow them through the war.

The battalion fought through the North Africa campaigns of 1941 to 1943. It was involved in taking Sollum and Gazala in Libya, the breakout of Minqar Qaim in Egypt, and the Battle of El Alamein—a truly legendary battle. Against great odds, it captured the key features of Tebaga Gap and Takrouna Pinnacle in Tunisa. Second Lieutenant Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu was posthumously rewarded the Victoria Cross for his courage at Tebaga Gap. The battalion is one of the reasons we are here today. The battalion’s hard fighting was reflected in its casualty rate: 270 dead and 815 wounded. And every Anzac Day, as we acknowledge the sacrifices of all the soldiers that fought in the various wars, it’s those sorts of stats that really hit home. And once again, as we hit Anzac Day, we will once again be remembering those battles and the sacrifices.

Of its seven commanders during this period, two were killed and three were wounded. Initially, between 1943 and 1945, they fought in two battles in Italy, and the battles were sobering. Its attack on Orsogna in December 1943 was rebuffed, with more than 50 casualties. But it was at Casino where two of its company sustained horrendous casualties during a failed attack on the railway station, in February 1944. Of the 200 men who started out, 128 were killed, wounded, or captured. The advance on Florence came next, followed by fighting around Faenza in December, before the battalion took part in the final race to Trieste.

With the exception of 270 men who were deployed to Japan as part of the divisionary cavalry regiment, the battalion returned to New Zealand in January 1946. Throughout the war, they had 15,744 people who volunteered. Now, that’s something you have to remember: it was an entirely voluntary force. While a lot of non-Māori were conscripted to fight, the Māori volunteered, which I think is something we always must remember. And they performed with distinction, both at home and abroad. The total Māori population at the time was just under 100,000. More than 3,600 men, all volunteers, served with the Māori Battalion. The battalion suffered 2,628 casualties: 649 of them were killed, 1,712 were wounded, and 267 were taken prisoner or were missing. That’s almost 50 percent more than the New Zealand average, which just showed the quality and the fighting spirit of the men involved. The unit received 99 honours and awards—the highest number among New Zealand infantry battalions.

When you hear the history, you can actually go and now visit a great display—I’ll just bring this one up, so I can get this right too. There is a really great display up at Waitangi, and the Te Rau Aroha Museum. I commend you all, this Easter, to travel over the Brynderwyn Hills up to Waitangi—to go and visit and see this great display. It’s divided into three galleries and it’s really worth going to see—it’s very emotional and I commend it to you.

Katie Nimon: I’ve seen it.

GRANT McCALLUM: Thank you, Katie; I appreciate those comments. I’m just recently in the process of being admitted on to the Waitangi National Trust, and the Hon Peeni Henare is a current member of that trust, and, of course, Sir James Henare was one of the last commanders of the Māori Battalion. So it’s an honour to be part of that and to be part, a little bit, of actually helping to bring that history to the people of New Zealand and to the people of the North, given the sacrifices all made.

So I really look forward to welcoming you all up there over Easter. I think commending this bill to the House is a really important thing to do, because of the history of all involved. So I commend the bill to the House. Thank you.

Thank you to the member, and thanks for the invitation. I guess it’s your shout!

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a second time.