Whaitiri MekaHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister of Customs): E te Māngai tēnā koe otirā ngā mema katoa o te Whare nei tēnā tātou katoa. Ko tōku whakapapa. Ko tōku tipuna ko Rāpana nō Ōtorohanga. Ka puta mai a Ihakara Rāpana aka Ike Robin. Ka moe ia a Mei Pire nō Ngāti Pāhauwera ka puta mai a Aroha Te Rangi Robin. Ka moe ia a Ruruhira Nepe-Apatu. Ka puta mai a Mei Robin ka moe ia a Wīrangi Wiremu Whaitiri ka puta mai ahau.I runga i taku whakapapa he mihi nunui ki te whānau ki te iwi o Ngāti Maniapoto i runga i te kaupapa whakanui i te ahiahi nei.[Greetings to the Speaker and all members of the House. This is my genealogy. My ancestor is Rāpana of Ōtorohanga. From him came Ihakara Rāpana aka Ike Robin. He married Mei Pire from Ngāti Pāhauwera and had Aroha Te Rangi Robin. She married Ruruhira Nepe-Āpatu. They had Mei Robin who married Wīrangi Wiremu Whaitiri who had me.With this knowledge I acknowledge the families and the iwi of Ngāti Maniapoto with respect to this important occasion this evening.]It is indeed an honour to stand in support of the first reading of the Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill. Can I acknowledge both those that are at home and unable to make it here this afternoon and those who are here listening here on the precinct to this significant piece of legislation we are debating. As a former Treaty negotiator you always look at deeds of settlement and you can distinguish certain aspects of negotiations from each other. When I examine the deed of settlement of the Ngāti Maniapoto it gives me great pride that there are mechanisms in here that I've never seen before—the speed with which we have got to this place with the mandate obviously signed in December 2016 and also the terms of negotiation signed that very same month to less than a year later probably in August 2017. So that's probably six to seven months' time that you're signing the agreement in principle and if you've negotiated claims seven months to actually sign an agreement in principle is quite significant. So it's not lost on me that the negotiators—and I want to acknowledge our tuahine the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and all those on the Ngāti Maniapoto side that were able to successfully conclude the agreement in principle in about seven months' time. That's lightning speed when it comes to Treaty settlements. And of course the deed of settlement was initiated this time last year December and of course here we are 12 months later having the first reading. So I want to acknowledge and underscore the speed with which this particular settlement has come to fruition and the many people that have worked in the background beside the negotiators on both sides to get us here today.There are a couple of things that I mentioned earlier that are unique to this settlement and I think it needs acknowledgment. In terms of the breaches of the Crown the deed of settlement does acknowledge three key areas but I particularly want to draw the House's attention to the failure of the Crown to protect Ngāti Maniapoto's tribal structures from the operation and impact of the native land laws particularly the individualisation of tribal lands which led to massive alienation of the tribal lands Maniapoto had cherished for centuries.It's the individualisation of Māori land titles that I want to underscore in this House. It was the making of this House that individualisation of communal ownership of land led to alienation and we've heard time and time again when we read Treaty settlements in this House of the mechanisms of the Crown not just confiscating land but the fact that the legislation that was meant to protect land had the reverse effect and in this particular settlement we have that in the deed of settlement.That then leads me to the extras some would say that the negotiators successfully negotiated with the Crown of which I want to make mention. Taiaha Maungārongo: this is a taiaha which reflects tribal taonga that are still held in a lot of museums around Aotearoa and internationally. This taiaha I understand belongs to Maniapoto to iwi or the people of Maniapoto and in the next five years the agreement allows that particular taiaha that has significance to Ngāti Maniapoto which is currently held in the Otago Museum to reside here in Parliament for five years before then going on to the Ngāti Maniapoto people. I think that is significant and it could potentially open other opportunities for taonga. Many iwi have already settled but those coming up next may want to look at exploring exactly what Maniapoto has done here with their particular taonga this taiaha I mention.And of course the Minister talked about the land that underlined the main trunk railway that went through Maniapoto's rohe and the Te Ara-o-Tūrongo part of this Treaty settlement I think is quite innovative in terms of whether we can gift land back wherever we can to those that lost land. It is absolutely important that we do it.The ahumania talks about all the relationships with the various Government departments and there are too many to list but there are really critical ones in there and of course the recognition of interest out to the 20-mile zone. As a Minister of Customs—and Madam Speaker is a former Minister of Customs. We understand the significance of our security on borders and I'm particularly drawn to that part of this settlement which no doubt will get explored when it goes to the Māori Affairs Committee but it does acknowledge Maniapoto's historic interest that goes out to 17.4 nautical miles or 20 miles out to sea. So it will be interesting to see what submitters will say on that.The $165 million of financial redress cannot be underscored in this time and age and I want to acknowledge the success that the negotiators were able to gain in terms of commercial redress. One of the areas under the ahumania the relationship redress mentions a primary industries' protocol and just earlier this year in July I had the good fortune to actually visit Te Kūiti and the Maniapoto trust board to attend the Ngāti Maniapoto Marae Pact Trust where I engaged with the rangatahi and the training that was going at the facility led by Joe Stafford and all those that are working really hard with our agriculture primary sector community in the wider area. I want to acknowledge the work that they continue to do and I know this settlement will enable not only the primary industry part of development for Ngāti Maniapoto but all the other aspirations that these people will continue to have and continue to evolve.This is a fantastic settlement. Like I said it draws on some unique mechanism within the settlement which I've tried to highlight. It definitely will get tested I have no doubt through the Māori Affairs Committee. But it is critically important to underscore the commitment by the negotiators to get this negotiation up very quickly. It's comprehensive—one of the most comprehensive settlements I've had the opportunity to speak in support of. I am very proud of those who have worked hard on both sides of the negotiating table both in Minister Finlayson's time and completed in Minister Little's time. It is critically important that we see Treaty settlements in this House for the development opportunities they possess not just for the Maniapoto people but in the outlying areas that make up this rohe of people. So again it is indeed an honour to add some value to the debate today in recognising the first reading of the Ngāti Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill. I acknowledge everybody who has worked really hard and I look forward to the Māori Affairs Committee's report back and hopefully we will hear from all interested parties both the positives and the developments should that be required in the settlement bill. I commend this bill to the House.