Third reading of the Māori Fisheries Amendment Bill, invitation to national wānanga and deferment of Te Ohu Kaimoana roadshow

Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 24 July 2024) Parliament concluded its third-reading of the Māori Fisheries Amendment Bill. Before going into further detail, I wish to acknowledge the vast amount of effort, commitment and input from iwi throughout the many years of work on the MFA Bill. This is truly a significant achievement and moment in time for our iwi and the realisation of rangatiratanga and mana motuhake in regard to fisheries and aquaculture.

During the third reading of the Bill, there were 12 speeches from members of the House, comprised of representatives from NZ First, Labour, Te Pāti Māori, Green, ACT, and National, unanimous in their support for the progression of the Bill into law.

Common themes and key points of interest from the speeches were:

• Strong support for economic and regional growth
• Certainty and the maximisation of opportunities in aquaculture
• There is a want to see the government invest in fisheries and aquaculture to support the seafood industry and Māori economy
• Acknowledgement of the hard work by iwi and Te Ohu Kaimoana
• The Bill supports the ability to exercise rangatiratanga and mana motuhake
• The preservation of the status/standing of urban Māori (Representative Māori Organisations) in regard to the Māori Fisheries Act
• Acknowledgement of the time when the Bill first arrived at the house – and the division it caused.
• MPs plan to attend the roadshow of Te Ohu Kaimoana in August

Invitation to National Wānanga – 10:00am – 3:00pm Thursday 5 September 2024

Te Ohu Kaimoana invites Mandated Iwi Organisations, Recognised Iwi Organisations, Representative Māori Organisations and Asset Holding Companies to attend a national wānanga on the Māori Fisheries Act Amendments, to be held at Te Wharewaka o Pōneke in Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington from 10:00am until 3:00pm on Thursday 5 September.

As we embark on this next phase looking at the implementation, our people are an integral part of the architecture and design to ensure that the next iteration of our evolution meets our collective needs and aspirations. This wānanga will provide us with the opportunity as a collective to discuss the MFA changes and how to best navigate implementation. Please note that this is not a special general meeting, and no resolutions will be put to the meeting.

Please RSVP here

Deferment of Te Ohu Kaimoana Iwi Roadshow

We also wish to update you that we intend to defer the previously advertised (on Tuesday 23 July) roadshow dates for August in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa (Gisborne), Tauranga and Te Tai Tokerau. We will reconvene those later in September, with dates to be confirmed. Thank you to those who had RSVP’d for those hui, we will also contact you personally.

If you have any questions in the interim, please contact Bede Dwyer via email: bede.dwyer@teohu.maori.nz or via phone: 021-073-9684.