Jones Shane: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Jones Shane: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:658;Page:7572] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 Otira hei timatanga me mihi atu ahau ki enei matua o te ao Maori mai i a Arawa waka kua tatu mai ki roto i tenei Whare. E kara e Anaru tena koe. Tena koe me to iwi o te hia ranei roa wenei take e whakataratara ana i a koutou katahi ka whakapaua te kaha na kua tutuki. Te rahi o nga take i whakaritea hei whai ma koutou. No reira tena koutou. E kare e Rawiri i te tuatahi taku kitenga atu i a koe te wa i tutaki tahi ai ahau a koe he tamariki koe. I naianei kua pae mai te tohoraha ki uta kua rite koe ki tetahi o nga kaumatua hinahina te matenga ngoikore te tinana engari tu tonu ana koe. Na reira tena koe. E kara e Rangi nga mihi nunui ki a koutou. Taku hoa e Hamu koutou katoa wahine ma tena koutou tena koutou. 
[ 
So as a beginning I must acknowledge these father figures of Maoridom from the canoe of Te Arawa who have arrived here in this House. Friend Andrew greetings to you and your people. How long and irritable these issues must have been for you! But through the efforts expended it has been accomplished. The issues you had to consider were enormous. But well done. Friend David you were a young person when we first met but with the whale coming to the beach you are now much like one of the elders: hair on the head is grey and body is listless but you remain staunch. Greetings to you. To you as well Rangi the friend. To Hamu my old mate and to all of you and the womenfolk much greetings. 
] 
I briefly say that I acknowledge the leading elders of Te Arawa who are here today and their supporters as we witness the passage of this piece of legislation. We on this side of the House probably could have done more over 9 years to expedite the process of settling claims but because it is an area that neither of the large parties should find room for dissension on we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Maori colleagues in particular and indeed with the Minister and all the Parliamentarians who are supportive of the Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill. That is so that we can expedite the passage of this part of our nation’s history and go forward turning the ihu of the waka to a new horizon. 
Mr Tau Henare made reference to some unfinished business in relation to the ascertainment and determination of entitlement in these reserves but the word that is used in the legislation is “may” not “must”. I think that any iwi looking at determination carving up and ascertaining interests and entitlement need look no further than the many millions of dollars and the many years that exhausted Maoridom through the Fisheries Commission allocation process. I ask the people of Te Arawa to please be very certain that the value and profit they might achieve through having an allocation is worth the inevitable rancour tension and legal fees. But it is of course up to them as to how that might happen. The land will remain as a reserve and although there is an ambition to take on the role of running the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute otherwise known as Te Puia such ventures should not be entered into wistfully. They will require a great deal of skill an appetite for debt and an understanding of working capital and markets which are too rarely seen in Te Ao Maori. 
This is a large day of celebration for us as MPs but the larger tasks rest with the stewards of the people. They now need to take this endowment forward and generate a perpetual flow of goods and services to create a dividend to keep the people together. As I have said before in this House grievances could always cause people by and large to work together in the face of a common adversary. But once the whale was landed katahi ka marara nga whanaunga. [ 
then the relatives scattered about. 
] 
Along with the Minister I am sure that Dr Cullen would share the sentiments put forward by speakers on this side of the House. Each settlement that is completed represents a chance for the next chapter of our nation’s development and for those who have come today from Rotorua with the shadow of Sir Howard Morrison’s and Arapeta Tahana’s recent passing perhaps the baton is changing to a new generation. That generation will have to show the skills honed of its time. Those skills will not show the same attributes or expertise that earlier generations had. We wish for Te Arawa not only great luck but also the confidence to rely on the new generation’s skills and expertise. 
We look forward to visiting the reserves in the future and to seeing harmony and prosperity. When that day arrives all I will say is this: Arawa e Anaru ki te puta matou o roto o Te Tai Tokerau maua ko taku tuakana a Tau Henare ki kona katahi nga gumdiggers ka mihi atu ki nga kairuku kapa. Na reira tena koutou tena tatou kia ora tatou katoa. 
[ 
Arawa and Andrew should we my elder kin Tau Henare and I of the north appear there we gumdiggers will then acknowledge you penny divers. Greetings to you us and everyone. 
]