Te Ururoa Flavell MP for Waiariki www.waiariki.maori.nz

Tena koutou katoa. Just a correction, before I begin. Ria Hall, who I spoke about in my last column, is a Maungatapu local. She still has strong connections to Te Puna, however, it is my understanding that Ria actually grew up in Maungatapu with her Ngati He and Ngai Te Ahi whanau. I was told from a colleague of mine that both Ria AND Stan are ‘Papaka' hard! No reira, tena korua.

Stay safe

The news of recent weeks has been dominated by major disasters following on from the Pike River mine tragedy. The Christchurch earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan have shown us that the days of believing we here in Aotearoa are protected from disasters are truly over. It was only about two years ago that any of us began to seriously consider we could be victims of a tsunami. The earthquake in Samoa two years ago showed that it is indeed a possibility, even a probability. Do you recall that many people in this country headed to the beaches to watch the anticipated tsunami rather than move to higher ground? Worryingly, people did the same after the recent Japanese earthquake, as devastating as it was. I really hope that the Japanese experience has woken us up to the threat. Only time will tell. Closer to home, I visited Tauranga last year and witnessed the flooding that so severely impacted that community. I urge all of us to become well prepared for any eventuality.

Marine and Coastal Areas (Takutai Moana) Bill

I appreciated the attendance of members of the general public at the meetings I held recently in the Western Bay to discuss the Marine and Coastal Areas (Takutai Moana) Bill. We had an excellent turn-out at Maketu, Waitangi, and Tauranga. I believe that most, if not all, of the people who attended, now have a better appreciation of the issues and the challenges faced by the Maori Party through this process. The Maori Party has delivered on the promise to repeal that abomination of an Act, the Labour Party's Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004, and has restored the right of Maori to go to court to test customary title. Furthermore, we have done much more to improve the position for Maori by guaranteeing there will be no more sales of the seabed and foreshore into private title, and ensuring public access. It is interesting that the two extremes of the discussion, though poles apart, both vehemently disagree with the Bill, albeit for contradictory reasons. At one end of the scale, some misinformed and/or mischievous people have suggested that Maori are getting much more than we deserve, while at the other end of the scale some Maori have argued that we are getting much less than we should accept. That being the case, for the vast majority in the middle, we believe we have probably got it about right, at least for now. It is all about perspective, and we take a pragmatic long term view. We look forward to turning our attention to the other important issues that affect us all.

I welcome your feedback: Email: mpwaiariki@parliament.govt.nz Phone: 0508 924 274 Postal: Waiariki Electorate Office PO Box 12028 Rotorua 3045