Mahuta NanaiaHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for Māori Development): Tēnei ka tū ake ka titiro atu ki a koe e Te Ariki Tā Tumu koutou ngā mana ngā ihi ngā wehi o ngā hapū o Ngāti Tūwharetoa ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou i tēnei wā. Ka rere taku mane ki te tihi o Taupiri ka tōpiki tōna haere ka titiro atu rā ki Pirongia arā ki Kakepuku te wāhi i mōteatea ai a Puhiwahine mō tōna hoa pūmau a Toko. Ka rere tōna haere ki te tihi o Tongariro arā te wāhi i whakaarohia ai ā tātou nei mātou tūpuna kia hīnanga ki uta hīnanga ki tai kia tū te Kīngitanga mō tātou katoa ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou. Ka whakanikoniko ēnei kōrero i runga i te whakaaro o tēnei kaupapa kua takotohia e koutou kei mua i te aroaro o tēnei Pāremata. E kore e mutu ngā whakaaro ki a rātou e kore i kite i tēnei wā engari kei reira te wairua o rātou katoa. Kei reira anō i te hoki i te wairua o ngā whakaaro i roto i tēnei o ngā kaupapa nō reira tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou pai mārire ki a koutou katoa.[As I stand and look at you paramount chief Sir Tumu and you the authorities the powers and important ones of the subtribes of Ngāti Tūwharetoa greetings and salutations to you at this time. My bird flies to the top of Taupiri it climbs up I look yonder to Pirongia namely to Kakepuku the place where Puhiwahine sang a lament for her beloved one Toko. Its journey flowed on to the tip of Tongariro namely the place where our ancestors considered to raise up from inland and coastal environs to create the king movement for all of us many greetings to you all. I have embellished with these words the concept of this matter which has been brought before this Parliament by you. The thoughts of those who are not seen at this time will never cease however the spirits of them all are there. They are also there with the return of the essence of the thoughts around this matter therefore this is an acknowledgment of you blessings on you all.]I'll make a brief contribution to support and endorse all of the comments that have been made in this House today as we recognise the significant achievement that has been reached in this settlement.Now my colleague Rino Tirikatene mentioned the 26 hapū and why it was so important because it was a really challenging time as we observed and understood the path that you took to achieve a settlement with the mandate of hapū. Tā Tumu you stood clearly behind the will of your people to go down a different road. Even though the Crown process required a large natural grouping you maintained the integrity of what the people wanted which was something akin to building and investing in the mana of hapū. That wasn't an easy road so we're not going to understate that here today but we just recognise that in taking that path ultimately the future that was envisaged was one that would strengthen the hapū across Ngāti Tūwharetoa with a view in mind to building the collective responsibility to the greater aspirations of Tūwharetoa the iwi. So we recognise that here today. We also recognise that anyone who goes down the path of negotiation knows just how difficult it is. You don't do it for a good time—that's for sure.I want to acknowledge the negotiators on the Ngāti Tūwharetoa side who I know tested officials within the Office of Treaty Settlements time and time again about the parameters of the settlement aspirations within the context of Treaty settlement criteria. If I can share some conversations that I did have when I had another role for Ngāti Maniapoto it was an insightful conversation that I had with both Te Ngaehe and Gina about the experience and be assured that everything came back to where the people were at and what the people wanted as difficult as the conversations were. Why that mattered to me was because Ngāti Maniapoto were in the same type of situation. Yes they understood the collective aspirations of Maniapoto iwi but actually where the rubber hit the road in terms of the benefits of the Treaty settlement it is always intended to benefit the hapū within the Maniapoto context. So grappling with those issues I think provided some insights from your experience that undoubtedly helped other iwi who looked to some leadership elsewhere.I want to also endorse the comments that were made in terms of the nature of the overlapping claims. Actually where Tūwharetoa became an exemplar for those within Te Rohe Pōtae was that it was always about relationships—always about relationships and respect—and I can say confidently from Ngāti Maniapoto's side it was always reinforcing the respectful relationships because what wasn't commented on within the context of your historical experience was the nature of Te Rohe Pōtae and the strength of the shelter that Tūwharetoa provided after the land wars. Tāwhiao came down to the people of Tūwharetoa to te Heuheu to seek refuge counsel and advice after some hardship. So we are here to say the journey hasn't been easy the future looks bright and it's all up to you now for the next generation. Nō reira tēnā koutou katoa. Kia ora.