SpeechHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Kia ora e Te Mana Whakawā. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare e te iwi ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. Ko tēnei Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Me whakanuia e tātou.[Greetings Madam Speaker. Greetings to the House to the tribe greetings to you all. This is Māori Language Week. We must celebrate it.]It is right that we celebrate Māori Language Week—and I apologise that a Minister who would have spoken Te Reo much more impressively than I do has just sat down. Clearly there's been a misunderstanding there about the speaking list. It is right that we celebrate Māori Language Week and for those who have as limited a command of Te Reo as I do that we try to extend our knowledge and our use of the language. It is fitting—perhaps even if it's a happy coincidence—that we mark the first reading of this Rua Kēnana Pardon Bill in Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.The history of the wrong that this bill seeks to put right or at least to acknowledge arose in part from cultural ignorance just over a century ago. It is also appropriate to acknowledge descendants of the Ngāi Tūhoe prophet Rua Kēnana who are present in the gallery today for this historic occasion because this is a momentous day for them—and we honour them.I also acknowledge with great respect the presence of the former Minister for Māori Development the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell who's been acknowledged by others—and rightly so. He is greatly missed by all of us in this House and in his absence the former Attorney-General the Hon Christopher Finlayson. They were a formidable duo. As previous speakers have noted this bill gives effect to the agreement between the Crown and Ngā Tamariki a Iharaira me Ngā Uri o Maungapōhatu Charitable Trust. I have a copy of that agreement here in my hand.I'm speaking today in my relatively new capacity as the shadow Attorney-General in the Opposition National Party. I acknowledge the considerable body of work that was undertaken by the Waitangi Tribunal in its Te Ururoa—Te Urewera inquiry. I'm sure there was an inquiry into you at some stage Te Ururoa as well! But in this case it was the Te Urewera inquiry which concluded that the police in 1916 used excessive force against the Maungapōhatu community and that the arrest of Rua Kēnana for sedition for his opposition to Māori conscription in the First World War was unlawful. That led to the agreement which this bill is designed to enact—and I of course anticipate it soon will be—to provide a statutory pardon in legislation to provide a summary of the circumstances around the 1916 invasion of Maungapōhatu Crown acknowledgments to the descendants of Rua Kēnana and the Iharaira faith a Crown apology to the descendants of Rua Kēnana and Ngā Toenga o Ngā Tamariki a Iharaira a pardon to Rua Kēnana for the conviction that he sustained for moral resistance to arrest and a declaration to restore the character mana and reputation of Rua Kēnana his uri and Ngā Toenga o Ngā Tamariki a Iharaira—the followers of the Iharaira faith. I apologise for my at times inaccurate pronunciation but this is a sincerely felt endorsement of that agreement.This apology is issued by the Crown. Although we are now in Opposition the National Party is proud to be in the House today to confirm our continuing strong support for this bill for the apology and for the aims of the agreement signed just over two years ago—in fact in one of the final acts of the outgoing Government led by the Rt Hon Sir Bill English undertaken by the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell and the Hon Christopher Finlayson on behalf of Her Majesty te Kuīni Elizabeth II and by Dan Hiramana-Rua on behalf of the trust.So that's why it is so important to emphasise that this is a bill that enjoys bipartisan support that reflects the determination of Te Ururoa Flavell and Christopher Finlayson to acknowledge the history and do right by the Crown and which marks an historic occasion for the descendants of Rua Kēnana and followers of the Iharaira faith. So I endorse the sentiments and the emotions of those who have spoken before me this afternoon in this debate. A pardon is a significant step for the Crown to take. It acknowledges that a wrong was done in the Crown's name by Crown agents. It acknowledges in this instance that mana was undermined and that suffering occurred which has continued for more than a century. It signifies a determination to put right the wrong that was done. It is a rare occasion for the Crown to issue an apology and that of course underlines its gravitas and its significance.I look forward to learning more of the history of an event that I acknowledge I learnt nothing about despite growing up and receiving all of my education in this country as the select committee undertakes its work and ultimately reports to this House. So in conclusion this is an historic day tinged of course with sadness and history that must be acknowledged but which signals I sincerely hope healing reconciliation and the restoration of mana. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.