The last year was a busy one for me as Associate Minister of Māori Affairs, and as Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. I don’t expect 2014 to be any different. There is much to be done.

My focus as Associate Minister of Māori Affairs has been the review of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, which sets out the legislative framework for the governance and management of Māori land.

This is a significant issue for Māori. I first became aware of its importance when I travelled around the country in my other role as Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations.

There are more than 27,137 blocks of Māori land under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, comprising 1.42 million hectares, or around 5% of the total land in New Zealand.

A report in March 2011 by the (then) Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry estimated that up to 80% of Māori land was under-performing for its owners. In many cases this was because of structural issues which stemmed from the legislation.

Improving the performance and productivity of Māori land would provide tremendous economic benefits to its owners and to the regions.

The benefits could be huge. As I told Parliament before Christmas, a study prepared for the Ministry of Primary Industries by Price Waterhouse estimated that the benefits of improving governance and management of Māori land could be huge – adding $8 billion to the economy and creating 3600 jobs over ten years.

However, Māori land is also a taonga which should be retained and developed for the benefit of owners - whānau, hapū, and iwi.

In June 2012 I announced an expert panel to review the Act, chaired by lawyer Matanuku Mahuika. And also including Tokorangi Kapea, Patsy Reddy, and Dion Tuuta, and very ably supported by Te Puni Kōkiri.

In April we released a discussion document prepared by the expert panel, seeking feedback on five major proposals to guide the reform of the Act.

The propositions were:

• Utilisation of Māori land should be able to be determined by a majority of engaged owners;
• All Māori land should be capable of utilisation and effective administration;
• Māori land should have effective, fit for purpose, governance;
• There should be an enabling institutional framework to support owners of Māori land to make decisions and resolve any disputes;
• Excessive fragmentation of Māori land should be discouraged.

Te Puni Kōkiri held an extensive series of 21 hui, between April and June across the country, for the expert panel to present its proposals and seek feedback and input from as many owners and interested parties as possible.

Early this year the Minister of Māori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples, and I will introduce legislation to reform Te Ture Whenua Māori Act. This legislation will unlock the potential of this cultural and economic resource for the benefit of its owners and for future generations.