Mana | Movement of the People

MANA in Parliament, October 2013

Government Bills
Parliament sat for two weeks this month –15-17 October and 22-24 October – and the key bills up for debate were:
· Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Bill: A key focus of the government programme this month was to push through the Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Bill, which passed its second reading and committee of the whole House stages and would have also passed its third reading if an urgent bill to address an operational police matter hadn’t interrupted proceedings last Thursday. The third reading will now be held during the first week of November. This Bill goes hand-in-hand with the GCSB Bill by enabling the GCSB to now legally intercept online and internet communications and spy on New Zealanders to a greater level than ever before – and of course then pass this information onto other organisations of the Five-Eyes spy network such as the National Security Association of the US government. And as with the GCSB Bill, the Bill is being pushed through without any independent inquiry into what is actually needed nor into how to prevent the abuse of surveillance power – such as the illegal spying which was part of the police’s Operation 8 terror raids in Ruātoki back in 2007. MANA has opposed the Bill at all stages. See the MANA website, www.mana.org.nz for Hone’s media statement “Six years on from Operation 8 and the government is still breaking the law” which draws a parallel between the police raids on Ruātoki where the (Labour) government denied all wrongdoing and changed the law, and the GCSB spying fiasco where the (National) government has again denied all wrongdoing and is again changing the law – the only difference being that ordinary citizens have now cottoned on to the extent of government spying and their entanglement with the political agenda of the US.
· Marine Legislation Bill: This Bill started out by making some long-overdue changes to port and harbour navigational safety procedures in response to the Rena disaster 2 years ago, and by signing us up to two international treaties to protect taxpayers from the financial costs of oil spills. But the Bill has since morphed into something else as well. During its passage through Parliament, the government amended the Bill to enable them to issue permits to oil and gas companies without having to go through a public notification process. This cuts us out of having any say – and effectively stops us from even knowing what’s happening. MANA opposed the Bill at its third reading as while it made some much-needed changes to maritime safety and dealing with the financial costs of oil spills, it will make them ever-more likely to happen. The risks associated oil drilling increase as water depth increases making deep sea oil drilling the most at risk for oil-spills, and yet with this Bill, it will now be less regulated than ever before making a complete farce of the Bill’s supposed focus on safety and protection.
· Health and Safety (Pike River Implementation) Bill: The Pike River disaster showed how desperately change is needed in mining health and safety laws – a change which this Bill, in part, provides. For this reason MANA has continued to support it at its second reading last week, but that doesn’t mean we don’t think much more could and should be done. In particular, workers need to be involved in all aspects of determining health and safety regulations, including being represented on the Worksafe NZ Board, as recommended by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the disaster. It’s widely recognised that worker involvement is a key factor in improving the health and safety of workers. That they’ve been cut out is typical of this government: taking a comprehensive report and cherry picking the bits that fit with their corporatized view of the world, and leaving the rest on the floor. MANA will continue to support worker representation on the Worksafe NZ Board through the remaining stages of the Bill.

Iwi in the House
Last week Parliament went into extended hours on Wednesday morning to hear three Treaty settlement bills and the historic Mokomoko (Restoration of Character, Mana, and Reputation) Bill
· Treaty settlement bills: Members of Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngāti Haua, and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura were there to hear the first readings of the bills to finalise their respective Deeds of Settlement. Settlements with the Crown are rarely without controversy within Iwi, in large part due to the Crown’s settlement policies and processes which can create divisions and fresh grievances when people’s specific concerns are marginalised or remain unaddressed. If you wish to tautoko or have an outstanding issue relating to any of these bills, submissions can be made to the Māori Affairs select committee and are due by 5 December 2013.
· Mokomoko and te whānau o Mokomoko restored: Also in Parliament were the whānau of Mokomoko for the second reading of the Bill to restore the character, mana, and reputation of their tūpuna and whānau into the future. It was an emotional gathering and an historic one for Parliament: the Bill is the very first tabled in Parliament to be written in te reo Māori. How better to honour the man who famously composed and sung “Tangohia te taura i taku kakī, kia waiata au i taku waiata” [take the rope from my throat so that I may sing my song]. The reading ended with a waiata by John Mokomoko.

Members Bills
Two Members bills had their first readings this month and MANA voted in support of them both.
· Tracey Martin’s Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill: The aim of the Bill is to ensure that orphans and unsupported children are eligible for the same WINZ clothing allowance that foster children qualify for – and which is often used to cover the cost of school uniforms. The Bill passed its first reading and was referred to the Social Services select committee. Submissions are due by 5 December.
· Jacinda Ardern’s Care of Children Law Reform Bill: The Bill asks that the Minister of Justice review the Care of Children Act 2004 and update it in relation to children who are adopted, whāngai, or conceived via human assisted reproduction technologies and/or surrogacy arrangements to ensure the paramountcy principle of the 2004 Act applies to them also – and to then draft a new law and table it in the House. The Bill did not pass its first reading and is now off the parliamentary agenda.

Feed the Kids Bill
MANA’s Feed the Kids Bill will now come up for first reading next month (whoop, whoop) – on Wednesday 13 November – and no delays are expected this time around. We’re currently working with local schools and support organisations, including those who are part of the Community Campaign for Food in Schools, to promote the Bill by hosting a Feed the Kids breakfast event on the lawn of Parliament that morning and having a big media push for this tino kaupapa. We’d love to see as many Feed the Kids Bill supporters as possible in Parliament that Wednesday for the first reading – and we’ll keep you updated as to the likely timeframe.

Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group
This month MANA was hosted for dinner by the Cuban Ambassador, María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, and her husband Manuel. Hone and the Ambassador are both very keen to establish a Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group to assist in building a productive working relationship between our countries, and particularly on mutual areas of interest such as trade, education, and sustainability. Once established, a sister group will also be established in the Cuban parliament – olé!

MANA-Māori Party talks
Ae, the rumours are true and the Māori Party has finally agreed to a sit down meeting with MANA. MANA President Annette Sykes and Co-Vice President, Lisa McNabb, will meet with Māori Party exec members tonight to discuss how to best work together, including the development of a shared policy to address one of the big issues of our time such as rising Māori unemployment or escalating child poverty. See the MANA website for Annette’s release on the announcement where she makes it clear that we’re after real results from working together – which she says won’t be possible if the Māori Party stays with National or continues to support them into government after the 2014 election. Watch this space!

Parliament is in recess this week and will resume on Tuesday 5 November.

Ngā mihi,
Helen.

Dr Helen Potter
Senior Advisor/Researcher
MANA Movement of the People
Parliament Buildings
WELLINGTON
Ph (04) 817-6992
Mob (021) 060-8910