Electricity Industry Bill - Committee Stage Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga Tuesday 21 September 2010; 8.30pm

I am pleased to take a call on this Bill which amends the Electricity Act 1992 and repeals the Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998, with minor amendments to the Commerce Act 1986.

The key purpose of this legislation is to provide a framework for the regulation of the electricity industry.

But there is a particular issue that I want to speak of, and that is in my capacity as the Member for Te Tai Tonga.

I rise to speak of the importance of the waters of Waitaki to Ngati Tahu.

The waters of Waitaki from their source at Aoraki through to the coast, are of paramount importance to Ngai Tahu.

And so when this Bill proposes to transfer ownership of both the Tekapo A and B power stations to Genesis Energy from Meridian Energy, Ngai Tahu is on high alert.

Aoraki - the sacred mountain range and Waitaki; the ancestral river are fundamental in the identity of every Ngai Tahu person. As such, Ngai Tahu have inherited responsibilities, as tangata tiaki, to manage the natural resources across the takiwa.

Indeed, it is extremely timely to be considering this issue, in advance of the report of the Land and Water Forum which will be released tomorrow.

For the mana of Aoraki and the waters of the catchment are an integral element of the tribal, economic, cultural and spiritual values of Ngai Tahu.

We come then, to the issue of asset reconfiguration specifically related to the Waitaki Power Scheme.

In the Maori Party manifesto, He aha te mea nui; we make the commitment to whanau, hapu and iwi, as tangata tiaki, to assist them to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the wellbeing and future good health of the environment.

In particular, we note that issues around water must include the mana whenua, including water rights and privatization.

And so we come to Supplementary Order 121.

Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, in their submission, made the case very clear that shareholders Ministers should enter any processes related to existing agreements involving Ngai Tahu in the spirit of good faith Treaty partnership.

They recommended a joint approach by Meridian and Genesis to address Ngai Tahu matters in the Waitaki Catchment; and wanted to encourage the Government to recognize the importance of a proactive working relationship between both of these State Owned Enterprises and Ngai Tahu.

A key recommendation put forward by Ngai Tahu was that the relationship should provide a forum to resolve historic issues of cultural displacement in the Waitaki.

And I want to place on record our support, as the Maori Party, for both Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and the local Runaka to sit down with Government, to work through the complexities and consequences of the asset reconfiguration provisions in respect of the Waitaki Power Scheme.

This is particularly important in light of clause 124a; the purpose section of sections 124B to 124H. Clause 124a (b) states that the purpose of sections 124b to 124H are to

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