Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill
te-pati-maori
Tue Apr 12 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill
Tuesday, 12 April 2011, 5:49 pm
Speech: The Maori Party
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga Tuesday 12 April 2011
Mr Speaker, as the MP for Te Tai Tonga I am very proud to stand in support of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill.
This is an important Bill which sets out the appropriate measures to enable the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to facilitate and direct, if necessary, greater Christchurch and its communities to respond to, and recover from, the impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes.
There has been so much said about the events of 22 February that one wonders what can be left to say.
The Bill itself puts this into words – “ we simply did not have the capability to deal with a disaster of this magnitude”.
But what has been so remarkable as the days and weeks have unfolded, is to see that there is indeed incredible resilience and fortitude at every level of the response to this disaster.
The key issue is that no one player should or could be expected to respond with a timely and co-ordinated recovery effort, for the greater Christchurch region.
As a leader in the recovery effort, I am pleased to know that Ngāi Tahu has supported central government intervention because in their view, the range of the issues emanating from the tragedy have a scale and complexity that is beyond anyone institution to resolve.
In my consultations with Ngāi Tahu, I am aware that they are confident that a close, collaborative arrangement with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority will both deliver positive outcomes for Christchurch and enable Ngāi Tahu to meaningfully contribute to the recovery programme.
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Ngai Tahu submit that a bold, but considered, central government intervention is required due to the scale and complexity of the issues affecting Christchurch at this time.
While this legislation does not have a Treaty clause, it embodies the Treaty partnership and the Maori Party joins with Ngai Tahu in strongly valuing this approach.
And I want to state from the outset, that perhaps one of the most important achievements the Maori Party wants to draw the House’s attention to is Section 58.
In this clause, the Bill states that nothing in this Act affects the operation of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998; and that in fact if there is any situation of doubt, the chief executive must exercise his or her power in accordance with the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.
The Maori Party has advocated for the First Rate of Refusal regarding land disposal.
This is important in respect of protecting the integrity of Treaty Settlements. In essence, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill makes explicit the primacy of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.
Now why this important is not just about demonstrating the Government has agreed that the existing Rights of First Refusal are sacrosanct and should be protected; but it also demonstrates the care taken in respect of formalizing the Treaty relationship with mana whenua.
And I am pleased to bring to the House, the views of Ngai Tahu, that they seek to commend the leadership shown by this government in enacting legislation that provides for the Iwi to assume a key role in the recovery of the people and place.
The advice that we have received from Ngai Tahu expresses their particular appreciation of the way in which this legislation embodies the commitment of Ngāi Tahu to be a partner with central and local government in developing the Recovery Strategy.
The Maori Party has played a key role in promoting the importance of Government formalizing a partnership with Ngāi Tahu with both central and local government; a relationship which will be given effect in the development of the CBD Recovery Plan.
The Maori Party promotes the creation of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and consultation with Ngai Tahu and locals in regards to the Recovery Strategy and Plans, notwithstanding that this is limited to consultation and collaboration.
Finally, at this first reading of the Bill I want to share some of the vital data and statistics that underpins successful implementation of this Bill.
The Bill is founded on the need for community participation in decision-making processes while balancing this against the need for a timely and coordinated recovery process.
And I want to share some of the amazing achievements that I have been privileged to participate, in through a unique development which I think of as the Iwi Maori sector response.
The Maori Party strongly advocates for a Recovery Strategy that is culturally appropriate for Maori.
What we have seen unfold in Christchurch is a crisis response effort to support the Māori and wider community, particularly those in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs, through a collaboration between a number of Iwi and Māori organisations known as the Iwi Māori Recovery Network.
The Iwi Māori Recovery Network is a collaboration supported by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu.
Within this, all of the whānau support has been done by Whānau Ora providers in Christchurch and other providers from a number of Iwi and Māori from outside of the region (including Te Arawa, Tainui, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngati Whatua).
The contributions of this network are:
• Total number of contacts as at Tues 8 April 2011: 9493
• Whānau with home safety concerns: 161
• Whanau requesting food parcels: 550
• Whanau requesting water: 513
• Whānau needing medical attention: 211
• Whānau needing clothing / bedding, etc : 132
• Whānau needing transport: 76
• Whānau needing assistance with filling out paperwork: 31
• Whānau needing counselling: 106
• Whānau needing respite for family: 19
• Whānau needing assistance with cleanup labour: 69
• Whānau members registered with Red Cross: 1518
• Whānau members registered with WINZ: 1113
Watene Māori have played a particularly significant role in this collaboration as they have conducted the house visits, and we are all enormously grateful for their efforts.
Mr Speaker, I wanted to break down this detail into actual numbers because it demonsrates to me the real mahi that is being done, every day, on the ground – that this Bill embraces and addresses.
The Bill formalizes the need to ensure local involvement in decision making the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery and the Authority to work alongside the Christchurch City Council, Environmental Canterbury, Waimakariri District Council, Selwyn District Council, and Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu; business and community interests and the private sector in order that the planning processes under the Bill take into account local views. There will also be a consultation process with locals.
The planning recovery of the greater Christchurch region will occur through the development of a Long-Term Recovery Strategy which will be developed by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority in consultation with those above and Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu.
The Bill is an essential part of the recovery of the area. We are happy to support it and look forward to active participation throughout the ensuing debate.
ENDS
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