Smart Meters (Consumer Choice) Bill
First Reading, Wednesday 5th of May 2010
Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. E te Whare tēnā tātau katoa. Kātahi anō ahau ka hoki mai i te nehu o tētahi o ngā uri o
roto o Ngāti Manawa, ko Bill Bird tērā. Koia tērā i whakatakotohia ki roto i te rua kōiwi o ngā mātua tūpuna o roto o
Ngāti Manawa, i Murupara. Nō reira, e tika ana kia tuku i ngā mihi nui ki a ia kua riro ki tua o tå ðae. NÍ reira, waiho
ia kia moe, kia oëiïki®
Ko tā tātau ko te wānanga i ngā take o roto i te Whare Pāremata i tēnei pō. Me kōrero au mō te āhuatanga ki a Murupara.
I a au i Murupara i te rangi nei ehara i te mea, he hāngai tonu ō rātau whakaaro i tēnei rangi tonu nei ki tēnei pire.
Ko tā rātau i a tātau e kōrero nei mō tēnei mea mō te hiko, ko tā rātau e whakaaro nui nei, mÍ te moîi hei utu i ng
nama. Åhara i te mea mÍ te m«t, ehara i te mea mō “tahi atu take, ko. Ko t rtau, ko te kimi moni kia taea ai e rtau
te utu ng nama e p ana ki ôe hiko.
Ehara i te mea he nui wāku kōrero mō tēnei take. E ai ki ngā kōrero kua puta ki te komiti whāiti o te Commerce Komiti, i
tae mai wētahi kōrero mō tēnei kaupapa, mō te smart meters. Kāre au i te mōhio, mēnā i tētahi taha ko te smart meter, ko
tētahi taha ko te dumb meter, aua hoki. Engari i tōna mutunga mai, e ai ki ngā kōrero he kaupapa pai t“nei hei wèina é
te huîga e whakapau moni ana íÍ ôe hiko n runga i te mea tuatáhi, he ta titiro ki te moni ka whakaðauhia é runga i ôe
hiko, , ka íutu, t“r pea n ruîga i t“r hõatanga¬ ëa koòe rtau e tere whakapau moni i ruîga i te hiko, ka mutu, ka
whina i a rtou ki te ta tiaki i te pëtea kai rïto i te pëkoro. I tÍna mutunga mai, te tūmanako ia ka whakamm i te
hõatánga o t“nei mea te hiko mÍ t“î, me t“n o roto i ng hapori, kia kïre e ráruraru n runga i te tauíahatanga o ng
pire kei runga i á rtau®
He paku āwangawanga nō mātau nō roto i te Pāti Māori, ana ko tēnei nā. I ngā tau kua hipa kua rongo mātau, ā,
whakakīkīngia ngā roto o Te Wai Pounamu mō te hiko, ā, ka mutu, ko ngā kamupene nui, ko rātau te hunga ka whiwhi pāinga
nā runga i tēnei mea o te hoko hiko. Ka pātaia te pātai, e, mēnā koi rā te āhuatanga ko te nuinga o te moni ka haere
tonu ké rïto i ôe pëkoro o nç kaíupene nui, he aha tā rtau ki te hapori, ki a Aotearïa whîui tonu? Kïi n te ptai
nui. H“ wangawangá tonu nÍ rïto o te Pti Moòi i te mea, m“n ka p“r, e aroha atu ana ki te hunça e rongo îei i te
pÍharatanga, e rongo nei i ng uauatanga o te korå moné n runga i te kore mahi, ka mutu, , koi n te wángawaîga nui.
Ā, kāti, ka tautoko ake i tēnei pire. He poto noa ake taku kōrero engari, he whakatakoto i ēnei kōrero ki mua i te
aroaro o te Whare Pāremata i tēnei pō. Kei wareware i a tātau, ko te hunga rawa kore, ko te hunga kore moni, kore mahi
nei i te mea, tōna mutunga mai, ka riro anō rā mā rātau ngā nama e utu. Mēnā he āwhina tēnei ki a òtaõ, kia ta tiaki
pai maé i te huatanga o te moni kei roôo i te pëkoro, e tika ana kia ôautokï ake. NÍ reira, ka waiho ake ng kÍråro ki
reirá, me ôe tautoko ake i t“neé pire i tÍna pnuitanga tuatahi. Kia ora ttau.
[Greetings to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and to us all, the House. I have just returned from the burial of a descendant of
the Ngāti Manawa people. That person was Bill Bird, and he was laid to rest in the cemetery of his Ngāti Manawa
ancestors in Murupara. Therefore, it is apt that tributes of the highest order be placed upon the one who has passed
beyond the horizon. Allow him to slumber and rest there.
Our task is to debate the issues that are before the House of Parliament tonight. The thoughts of the people in Murupara
today were, as expected, not focused on this bill. Their main concern, as we debate the issue over power, is about where
the money is going to come from to pay the bills. It is not about meters, or any other issue, absolutely not, but to
find the money to pay the bills relating to electricity.
I do not really have a lot to say about this issue. According to some reports from the Commerce Committee, submissions
about this policy relating to smart meters were received. I am not exactly sure whether the submissions were about smart
meters, or dumb meters, or whatever. But at the end of it all, and according to the discussions, this is a sound policy
in that it helps people who spend on power, because, in the first instance, it monitors the money being spent on power
and conserves the funds in the pocket. The desired outcome is that it eases costs to the individual and spreads it more
evenly over the whole community.
The Māori Party has a small concern, and it relates to this. We heard that the ones who reaped the benefits by storing
waters in South Island lakes and selling the electricity generated from that in the past were the huge power companies.
The question then is, if the majority of the money continues to go into the coffers of big power cïmpanies, what is
their contribution to the community and to New Zealand at large? That is the big question. It is a real concern for the
Mori Party, because if that is going to be the case, we pity the ones struggling to keep above the breadline and
struggling to find work. It is a huge concern.
That aside, we support this bill. While my contribution is a small one, I have at least expressed it before the House.
We must never forget those without means, money, and jobs, because eventually they are the ones left to pay the
accounts. If this bill is of some help to them in terms of stretching the money in the pocket, then it is right that it
be supported. So I leave my comments there, and endorse this bill at its first reading. Greetings to us.]
ENDS