Horomia Parekura: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Horomia Parekura: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:658;Page:7566] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
:  
E tika ana ki te mihi atu i a koutou i tae ake ki te tautoko otira i a koutou nga mea pakeke o Te Arawa whanui. Tena koutou. 
[ 
It is appropriate that I acknowledge you the elders of Te Arawa at large who have arrived in support. Greetings to you. 
] 
Most that has needed to be said has already been said by my two colleagues. I commend the Minister of Maori Affairs for continuing with the journey and ensuring that Te Arawa people and those iwi and hapu involved reach the point they want to reach. Certainly the fee simple estate is something those people will relish. It is nothing new; this has been a long long argument and disagreement with the Crown and putting it to rest in this fashion is most encouraging. There are issues around the arts and culture establishment Te Puia but what needs to be commended is the way in which these have been taken forward. There were early tensions. There still is some tension if we are honest about it but that is for the people to fix up and put right. 
The joint trust that has been established for the purpose of administering these lands is something that will have a lot of influence—that is influence that the people did not have before. Some things related to the Conservation Act and those issues deemed to involve the periphery of the lakes and the forestry are in a category where they cannot be put asunder but—members should make no bones about it—this bill will give the trust and the organisation the right to determine and define what happens for their people. That is something that has been long lost. The village has always been in Maori ownership but it is certainly important to ensure that the people have the right to have their say and that they are not overrun by antiquated laws invoked by the local authority and the Crown. 
The bill of course represents more than a simple land transfer from the Crown to Maori. Subject to the provisions of the Reserves Act 1977 the wider motivation for the Crown and iwi negotiators included an agreement to vest the fee simple estate in those reserved lands outside the Treaty settlement process as the Minister himself said. By so doing the mana of the land of the people of Ngati Whakaue Tuhourangi and Ngati Wahiao will be recognised with a stronger relationship which can be continued and built on. 
I especially want to mention Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa who made a choice to mediate and to be in the first instance the iwi to whom these lands were unloaded but the lands will go on immediately. There is not much more that I can say about that but it is certainly encouraging. I commend the present Minister of Maori Affairs for taking the bill through and I thank the previous Minister of Maori Affairs very much! Kia ora tatou. 
The question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 82 in the name of the Hon Dr Pita Sharples to schedule 1 be agreed to. 
Amendment agreed to. 
Preamble clauses 1 and 2 Parts 1 to 3 and schedules 1 and 2 as amended agreed to. 
Bill reported with amendment. 
Report adopted.