Melanesian Trusts (Income Tax Exemption)
Amendment Bill
Wednesday 2nd April 2008; 8pm
Te Ururoa Flavell – Member of Parliament for Waiariki
Ko täku noa ake i te tuatahi ko te tuku i te poroporoakï ki tera kua ngaro atu i nga pakitara o te whare paremata. Ara
ko te toa i tu ki mua o te pa tuwatawata e tu ake nei. Ohorere ana te ngäkau i täku rongo kua wahangü koe i tënei rangi
e koro. Heoi ano e hoki ki Hawaiki nui ki Hawaiki roa ki Hawaiki pämamao. E koro, haere, whakangaro atu ra.
Let me add in the first instance my farewell to Tumu, who has departed the walls of this Parliament. That is the
guardian who has stood at the palisades of this place. I was shocked today to hear of your passing. Farewell, on your
journey back to Hawaiki nui ki Hawaiki roa, ki Hawaiki pämamao. Farewell.
Madam Speaker, i tera wiki i whakarewahia tetahi tianara hou i te pouaka whakaata, ko Te Reo töna ingoa. Ko töna pütake
ko te reo Maori, kia rangona te reo Maori e körerotia ana. No reira, me mihi ki a rätou na rätou tera kaupapa i
whakatinana, kia puäwai i te rangi nei. Koia nei au i whakaaro ake nei, kia whakaputa i tënei korero i te reo o nga
tupuna hei whai haere i tera tauira.
Madam Speaker, last week, was the launching of a new television channel called Te Reo. The reason this channel, is so
people can hear Maori being spoken. So, let me acknowledge those who established the channel, to bring it to fruition
today. This is why I have decided to deliver this speech in the language of my ancestors, to follow that example.
Ki te mema hou, nau mai e rarau. He rawe tau na korero inapo. Sua, Talofa, haere mai.
To you, our new member, welcome to you. You had a great speech last night. Welcome.
Madam Speaker, Ko tënei pire i te whare i tënei po, he take maamaa, ara, ko te putea ka puta mai i te Melanesian Mission
Trust Board me te moni ka tohatohaina e taua poari, kia noho kore taake.
This Bill, before the House tonight, is seemingly a straightforward proposal to ensure that income derived by the
Melanesian Mission Trust Board – and the subsequent distributions of income by that Trust Board – are exempt from tax.
E tautoko ana te Paati Maori i tënei take. Ki o mätou whakaaro, me noho kore taake nga roopu äwhina a haapori.
That proposal is one that the Maori Party is happy to support. We believe that tax exemptions should be granted for
charitable purposes.
Ko nga tümanako äwhina a iwi, äwhina a mätauranga, äwhina a whakapono, ka whai kiko ma te hoko whenua, hoko whare
karakia, hoko kura, hoko whare, ko te whakapai poti me ëtahi atu waka, me tëtahi putea hei tiaki i nga pïhopa, nga
minita me nga kaiako.
The charitable, educational and religious purposes provided for, are described as the purchase of land, churches,
colleges, schools, buildings, repair of ships, boats and other vessels and the maintenance and endowment of bishops,
clergy and schoolmasters.
He maamaa noa iho tera. – ara ka whakapau te poari o te Melanesian Mission Trust i te putea riihi hei koha ki te Haahi
Melanesia – me kii, mai i nga motu o Horomona, ki Vanuatu, tae noa atu ki New Caledonia.
That all seems fairly straight-forward – that the Melanesian Mission Trust Board will use the leasehold income to fund
the Church of Melanesia – a mission which covers the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Kaati, e pënei ana te ähua?
But is it all so straight-forward?
Madam Speaker, ko te take nui i puta mai ki a au, ko tera e paa ana ki te whakapounganga o te moni riihi.
Madam Speaker, I need to say that what prodded my interest was around this use of leasehold income.
Ko te whenua i Mission Bay me Kohimarama, he whenua i whakawehea, i riihia mo nga whare. Ko töna hanga, he ähua rite ki
nga riihi a Glasgow, ara he mea mutunga kore, he mea whakahou, he mea aata tirohia anötia. He ähua örite ki nga mea
Glasgow.
The land of the mission in Mission Bay and Kohimarama was subdivided and leased for housing in the form of perpetually
renewable ‘Glasgow-type’ leases, subject to periodic rent reviews.
No Aotearoa te hanga o ënei momo riihi, ara kia noho köhatu nga rïhi ki tëtahi nui ia tau ia tau, a, ka noho pënei mo
nga tau rua tekau ma tahi. Kaore töna taketake i te tino möhiotia engari ara noa atu töna toronga.
These ‘Glasgow’ leases are a particular New Zealand construct which fixed the leases at an amount per annum that did not
change for a term of 21 years. Its origins are not clear but its impact has been huge.
Ka hipa nga tau rua tekau ma tahi, ka tirohia ënei Momo riihi (a Glasgow) ara, ki tëtahi paiheneti o te wäriu o nga
whenua, ki te utu reti ränei mo nga tau rua tekau ma tahi ano.
Once the 21 years were up, these Glasgow leases were reviewed either to a pre-determined percentage of the land value,
or to a market rental for a further 21 years.
Ki täku möhio, i whakakorengia nga rïhi o Glasgow i te whenua o Irihapeti i te tau tahi mano, iwa rau rua tekau ma rua,
engari, i Aotearoa nei, ko tënei whenua kei tënei pito o te ao, ka mau tonu, ka mau tonu i a tätou.
Apparently Glasgow leases were abolished in the United Kingdom in 1922, while here in Aotearoa, this far-flung outpost
of the world, it still perseveres.
Ka nui täku aronga ki ënei momo riihi pënei i nga mea Glasgow, ara te pütake tonu o te putea mo te Melanesian Mission
Trust, i te mea, he ähua örite tënei ki te oranga o ëtahi o nga Kura Maori a Noho.
I have a particular interest in the Glasgow type leases which constitute the major source of income for the Melanesian
Mission Trust, as it relates to the economic survival of many of our Maori boarding schools.
Ara a Te Aute, tera kura Maori rongonui a Noho o to mätou kaiärahi. He noho whakahiihii te noho a te Takuta Pita
Sharples ia ra. Engari ka kore rawa a ia e paku korero mo nga haukerekeretanga i te ringa kaha o Tipene!!! Aroha mai kei
te kotiti te korero!!! I Te Aute, kaore pea i te tika te hoko o nga wahanga whenua.
Think Te Aute – that iconic Maori Boarding school of our co-leader. Dr Pita Sharples skites about his almost every day
but fails to mention the many rugby games lost to St. Stephens School. I digress. Here the legality of sections being
available for sale was questioned.
Ara a Hato Paora. I te tau kua hipa i hokona o rätou whenua paamu kia whiwhi putea ki te whakatika i o rätou waahi noho.
Think Hato Paora College, which last year was forced to sell the farm property in order to gain revenue for the
redevelopment of its hostels.
Ara a Tipene – ara noa atu nga täne o te puna mätauranga pënei i a Hone Harawira me ëtahi atu o tënei whare, ko au tonu.
Think Tipene, St. Stephens School – think quality old boys like my colleague Hone Harawira as well as other worthy
members in this House, including myself.
Ko nga kaitautoko a Putea, ko te haahi Mihingare. Ko ta rätou ko te whakatika i o rätou rawa kia taea ai te whakapaipai
i o rätou waahi noho i te wa e tuwhera ana te kura.
The sponsors of St Stephens School, the Anglican Church, had to reorganise their assets in order to upgrade and maintain
their hostels when it was open.
Madam Speaker, he take nui whakaharahara tënei, ara ko nga riihi whenua. Ara ano atu ona kino ki nga taha e rua, mo te
whenua noho a kainga tonu.
Madam Speaker, this is the crucial issue with the leasehold land system, a system which has serious disadvantages to
both parties, particularly for residential land.
Ko te tino raru ko tera e paa ana ki te tangata nöna te whenua. Ka heke haere te putea e tae atu ana ki a ia, a, karekau
he pikinga i te wa roa, engari, ka tae ki te wa ka arotakengia, ka rongo te kaipupuri i te whenua i te pikinga o te
riihi, ka mutu kaore ona paku hononga ki te ähuatanga o te whenua, ki te wäriu ranei o nga whakapainga i runga o aua
whenua.
The most obvious tension is that the lessor receives a declining return for the ownership of the asset with no rent
increase over a prolonged period but, when the rent was reviewed, the lessee faces a rental increase in percentage terms
that often bears no relationship to the existing use of the land or the value of the improvements on the land.
Madam Speaker, koia nei te ähua i tënei Pire e paa ana ki te Melanesian Trust. He take wänanga tonu ki a mätou o te
törangapü Maori
Madam Speaker, all of this context, surrounding this Bill regarding the Melanesian Trust is inevitably of interest to us
in the Maori Party.
Ko te putea no era momo riihi a Glasgow i nga rohe o Tamakimakaurau ara i Kohimarama, i Mission Bay, he putea awhina i
te hähi Mihingare i Melanesia, no reira ara ano te pätai, tera pea, kei te patu te Melanesian Mission i a ia ano na
tënei momo riihi.
The income from the Glasgow type leases in the highly sought after Auckland suburbs of Kohimarama and Mission Bay, helps
to support the Anglican Church in Melanesia – and so we have to ask the question as to whether the economic plight of
the Melanesian Mission, is in itself a victim of this type of lease arrangement.
Kia möhio mai tätou, ara noa atu nga momo nukunuku, nekeneke o ënei momo riihi.
We need to be aware that there are many complexities of these type of leasehold arrangements.
Na, ara ano tëtahi take. Ko te mea pai o tënei momo pire, ko to tätou tirohanga ki o tätou korero, hitori a motu nei i
te wa i eke mai a tauiwi ki konei.
The other key point I want to raise in connection with this Bill is that it enables us to consider an important
perspective into our shared histories at the point of settlement.
Ki täku möhio, i whakaturia te Melanesian Mission Trust i te kotahi mano, waru rau, ono tekau ma rua o nga tau e te
Pihopa Mihingare, e George Augustus Herewini raua ko John Coleridge Patterson, the Pihopa Mihingare Tuatahi i Melanesia.
My research tells me that the Melanesian Mission Trust was established in 1862 by the Anglican Bishop, George Augustus
Selwyn and John Coleridge Patterson, the first Anglican Bishop in Melanesia.
I tae atu a Pihopa Herewini ki Tamaki Makaurau i te toru tekau o Haratua i te tau kotahi mano, waru rau, wha tekau ma
rua. I ako tonu tera i te reo Maori i töna haerenga mai ki konei. Na wai ra, ka tino matatau te tangata nei i te reo, ka
kauhau mai, whakaako mai i te reo Maori, i te reo Pakeha ranei na runga i te ähua o te wa.
Bishop Selwyn arrived in Auckland on 30 May 1842, having begun to learn te reo Maori during the long voyage here. He
eventually became fluent in Maori, teaching and preaching in either English or te reo, depending on the context.
He tangata rerekee a Pihopa Herewini i te mea ko töna aronga nui ko te mätauranga me te whakapono. Nana tonu ënei i tuku
ki nga Pakeha me te Maori. I taua wa, ko te aronga nui o nga mihingare ko te mahi ki waenga i te tangata whenua, kaua ki
ëtahi atu.
Bishop Selwyn was unusual in that he was committed to the provision of education and spiritual guidance to both settler
and Maori – whereas at that time, it was usual that the Missionaries only worked with tangata whenua.
Na töna aronga ki te Maori, i noho a ia i te taupatupatu ki te haahi, ki te ona hoa Pakeha. I a ia i te käreti o Hato
Hoani, he kaha töna nonoi kia noho örite nga tauira Maori, Pakeha me nga Melanesian i nga mea katoa – ara, i nga waahi
noho, i nga wharekai, i nga häkinakina, me nga akomanga.
Being as committed to tangata whenua, did, however bring him into conflict with both the Church and the settlers. While
he was at St Johns Theological College, he insisted that Maori, Pakeha and Melanesian students shared equally in all
activities – such as accommodation, meals, sports and studies.
Na tona whakahee i nga kaupapa whenua o taua wa, a, i puta te riri o nga pakeha o taua wa.
He was also extremely critical of much of the land policy of this time, which generated considerable opposition from the
settlers of this time.
I te päkarutanga mai o te raru ki Waitara me te pakanga ki Taranaki, i kaha whakaheengia a Pihopa Selwyn mo töna
tautoko, töna whakaruruhou i a Wiremu Kingi. Käore e kore kei te maumahara koutou i whakahee a Wiremu i te hokonga atu o
nga whenua o Taranaki ki te kawanatanga. Ko taana ko tënei:
During the Waitara dispute and the Taranaki War, Bishop Selwyn was condemned for his public defence of Wiremu Kingi.
Wiremu Kingi, you will recall, vigorously opposed the sale of the Taranaki land to the Government, noting and I quote:
“that no Maori owned land - the land was owned by all the people to be used communally and individually and not to be
possessed. Under Maori custom no land could be sold without the consent of all the people. As leader he must make a
decision in accordance with the people's demands”.
Mutu katoa te hoko whenua i te tau kotahi mano, waru rau, ono tekau, me te kore whakaaetanga o te iwi. I muri mai, ka
uru atu nga kaiwehe whenua ki tënei poraka whenua.
The sale of the land was completed in early 1860 without the consent of the people and, soon after, surveyors entered
into the block.
Ka poto te waa ämuri mai i tera, ka tae atu nga höia ki Waitara, ka pakaru mai raa te pakanga. Ahakoa nga taumahatanga o
taua waa, ko Pihopa Selwyn tera i tautoko mai i te take nei.
And it wasn’t long after that, Government troops were sent to Waitara and battle broke out. Throughout all this time,
Bishop Selwyn championed the chief and lent his support to the cause.
E hoa maa, e pënei ana täku whakamärama mo te hitori nei na te mea he mea mïharo ki a au ko te hono i nga taketake o te
Melanesian Mission Trust me nga mahi o te kawanatanga ki Waitara – Tetahi o nga raru whenua e kore e warewaretia.
Honourable members, I share this history with the House, as it is fascinating to me, to make the connections between the
early origins of the Melanesian Mission Trust and the Government’s actions in the Waitara Block – easily one of the most
controversial incidents in the history of our land.
Hei kupu whakamutunga, ka mihi atu ki te Melanesian Mission Trust mo to rätou purongo, me too rätou kore möhio me aha
rätou me nga putea ka riro ki a rätou i tua o nga ähuatanga umanga. Ko taa rätou, ka heke te putea o te Hahi Melanesia
mai i te whitu miriona ki te rima miriona ki te taakehia te Trust Board.
Finally, I appreciated the submission from the Melanesian Mission Trust and the detail that they gave around the
uncertainty to do with what they described as non-business income. They spelt it out very clearly – that the funding of
the Church of Melanesia – some seven million dollars per annum – stands to be reduced by approximately two million
dollars if the Trust Board’s income was taxable.
Kua whakatakotohia he paku hitori, kua whakahoropakihia e au te Melanesian Mission me ona mahi – Na ko taua mea kotahi
na, te hekenga o te putea aa rua miriona tara, käore tera i te noho tau ki töku ngäkau.
As I have gone through some of the history and context of the Melanesian Mission and its function – that one fact, a
loss of some two million dollars – really crystallised it for me.
Kei te tautoko mätou te Torangapuu Maori i tënei pire, kei te mihi kau hoki mätou ki te Melanesian Mission Trust me o
rätou mahi äwhina i nga roopu aroha / rawa kore. Kia kaha raa.
This Bill has our support, as the Maori Party, and we wish the Melanesian Mission Trust good fortune in their ongoing
commitment towards the distribution of income for charitable purposes.
ENDS