Ririnui Mita: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Ririnui Mita: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:662;Page:10845] 
Hon MITA RIRINUI (Labour) 
: 
 Otira kei te Kaihautu me penei ra taku korero i te ahiahi nei. Kei waenganui i a tatau to tatau Kingi no reira e tika ana kia whakapaoho i nga korero i roto i to tatau reo rangatira kei konei a ia. Me penei ra te timatanga korero maku i te mea ra kua tatu a-wairua mai ratau kua ngaro ki tua o te arai me te tuku whakamoemiti whakawhetai ki te wahi ngaro a kia noho tonu ona manaakitanga ki runga i a tatau i nga wa katoa. No reira nga whakamoemiti whakawhetai kai te tu tonu i nga wa katoa. 
Kei to tatau Kingi e Tuheitia tena koe e tatu a-rangatira mai ki waenganui i a matau otira i a tatau i runga ano i te kaupapa kua wharikihia i roto i tenei te ana o nga raiona. E mihi ake ana ki a koe otira ki te Kahui Ariki a ki a Waikato-Tainui nui tonu kua takahia mai te huarahi mai i te nuku o te whenua ki te rohe o Te Ati Awa ki Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara i runga te karanga o te ra. No reira tena koe tena koutou tena koutou katoa. Otira kei taku papa e Koro nei tonu ra ano koe hei maumaharatanga i nga mahi i mahia nei e koutou i te wa i a koutou e mahi ana i nga mahi i kawe nei e koutou i roto i to tatau Whare. No reira tena koe tena koutou e Tuku me tena o nga rangatira e noho na ki to taha Takuta Michael Cullen. Kei te tu whakaiti i runga i te maumahara nau tonu tenei kaupapa i arahi i runga i te huarahi i roto i a Tainui nui tonu kia tutuki pai ai i tenei ra. Harikoa ana te ngakau kua tatu mai koe. 
Taku tu he tu poto noa iho i te mea kua korerohia nga mema Paremata o roto i te Whare nei i nga tuahuatanga katoa e pa ana ki tenei pire te pire kei waenganui i a tatau. Koi ra kua tutuki ra tera korero mai ra i taku whanaunga mai i Te Tai Tokerau te hanga hoki au i taku Whare. Ko te kaihanga o tenei Whare ko nga tipuna kua ngaro atu. Ko ratau ra i whakarere iho nei i nga korero kia marama ai tatau ka pehea wa tatau mahi katoa o nga ra kei te heke mai i nga mahi hei painga mo a tatau tamariki mokopuna. Koi ra kua tu whakaiti kei konei to tatau rangatira to tatau Ariki to tatau Kingi a me tana ropu oku whanaunga katoa mai i Tainui mai i Ngati Maniapoto mai i Raukawa mai i Ngati Haua nga iwi katoa o roto i a Waikato. Na kua tae mai ra ki te ata whakaarohia ki te ata whakarongo ki nga korero kua horahia nei. 
Ahakoa ra nga korero o tena o tena o tena ahakoa kaore tetahi e whakaae ana ki te pire kai te pai. Kei te pai. Koinei te Whare e kia nei te ana o nga raiona ahakoa tena raiona kua kore he niho kei te pai. Korero i nga korero korero i nga korero. 
Tatu ra ki a koe kei te Minita Maori e Pita tena koe i tae atu ki tawahi i runga ano i tena kaupapa. Ahakoa tae atu koe i runga i te kore mohio i runga ano i te kuare kei te pai. Nau tonu ra i whakatutuki nga mahi i wharikihia e o matau tupuna koi ra te poropiti a Ratana koi ra te tupuna a Reweti Te Wheno koi ra nga tupuna o Tainui nui tonu. Na ratau tenei kaupapa i takotohia i runga i te tepu o te Kooti Nui o te Ao i mua i nga Kingi tekau ma rima kua oti ra kua tutuki ai tera korero—he iti tau he iti. Ahakoa ra ka taea a tona wa ka tu au i roto i te Whare Nunui o te Ao ki mua i nga Kingi tekau ma rua. I tera ra nau ano tena kaupapa i whakatutuki. Koi na no ahakoa kua tae atu koe i runga i te kore mohio kei te pai. Harikoa ana o matau ngakau nau tonu tena mahi i whakatutuki. 
No reira hai te Whare e tika ana kia mihingia tatau katoa. Kei tena kei tena kei tena o tatau o tatau whakaaro mo te pire ko te mea nui ke kua tae ki te mutunga. Kua takahia mai ra e nga whanaunga o Waikato o Te Arawa ki roto i te Whare hei tautoko i te pire otira tautoko i nga korero katoa. Hoi ano waiho ake ena ahuatanga i kona. Tena koe taku rangatira e Parekura ahakoa nga mihi whakatete ra o tetahi ki a koe kei te pai. Mihi ana ki a koe kei te Minita. Mihi ana koe te teina o tena o nga Minita a Takuta Michael Cullen nana tenei kaupapa i kawe mai ki roto i te Whare i tera tau ko koe te Minita i taua wa. Hoi ano harikoa ana te ngakau kua honohono ngatahi nei tatau ki roto i te Whare i runga i tenei o nga kaupapa. 
[ 
Indeed Mr Deputy Speaker let me commence my address this afternoon by saying this. Our King is amongst us so it is appropriate that I announce his presence here in our noble language. I begin my speech in this manner because those who have passed on are here in spirit so we must praise and bless the realm that is no longer before us and seek that the Creator above bestow his praises and blessings upon us at all times.  
To our King to you Tuheitia I extend greetings to you as you grace us with your presence in regard to the matter that has been presented before us in the den of lions. I acknowledge you and the aristocracy of Maoridom Waikato-Tainui at large who have traversed the country to the domain of Te Atiawa here in Wellington in response to the call of the day. So greetings to you and greetings to you all. Indeed to you my elder statesman Koro seeing you here once again brings to mind the work that you and your colleagues did and accomplished in our House. So greetings to you and former colleagues Tuku and that leader beside you Dr Michael Cullen. I stand humbly before you at the very thought that you guided this matter through Tainui at large to its realisation today. How pleased I am that you are here today.  
My call is only a brief one because every aspect relating to this bill in our midst today has been addressed by members throughout this House. And like my kin from the far north I too construct a house of my own whose creators are the ancestors who have passed on. In the talk that they left behind about the house was the legacy that regardless what we create for the future it must be of benefit for coming generations. That is it. So I am humbled by the presence of our leading monarch our paramount chief and King and his entourage including all my relations from Tainui Ngati Maniapoto Raukawa Ngati Haua and all the people throughout Waikato. Now they have arrived here to consider and listen intently to the speeches put before them.  
Regardless of the individual speeches of endorsement by this member or that member or whether one is opposing this bill that is fine. It is great. That is why this place is called the lion’s den. Even though that lion is toothless it is quite all right. Say what you want to say.  
So I come to you the Minister of Maori Affairs Dr Pita Sharples. Congratulations on your trip overseas on that matter. Even though you went somewhat uninformed and ignorant that is OK. You accomplished what our ancestors set out to do before you like the prophet Ratana Reweti Te Wheno and quite a number of Tainui ancestors. They presented this matter before the world’s highest court of 15 rulers. So it was adjudicated and ruled upon and brings to mind the saying: yours was but a minor accomplishment a little one. And in time I will stand inside the greatest house of the world and before 12 rulers 12 kings. And on that day I will acknowledge the matter you accomplished even though you went somewhat uninformed and ignorant but that is fine. We were very pleased all the same with what you achieved.  
To the House it is appropriate that everyone be congratulated on the views that each of us have on the bill and just as important it is at its final stages. The kin from Waikato and Te Arawa have come into the House to support the bill and all the speeches. But let us leave those sentiments there. I acknowledge you my senior colleague Parekura; despite the smarting comments cast in your direction from that member that is all right. I commend you too the Hon Dr Michael Cullen. As a junior Minister you originally brought this matter into the House when you were the Minister responsible at the time. It is pleasing indeed for all of us to join up once again in the House on this matter 
.] 
What a privilege it is to be involved in this debate this afternoon—although there are not many differences being expressed. I take this opportunity to humbly thank Kingi Tuheitia and his ropu for being here today. This is a very very significant occasion. When we think about the history of the Waikato-Tainui claim and consider many of the statements made here in the House this afternoon in relation to that history we have to take into account those who do not agree. That is fine with many of us in this House. As has been said this is a House of robust debate and everybody should be given that opportunity. We have a saying where I come from where the House is more aptly named the “lion’s den”. Sometimes a lion stands up with no teeth and it roars and chews away at nothing. But this is an opportunity for those people to have their say. 
There are many people to acknowledge. I am afraid that if I name them individually I will embarrass myself by leaving somebody out but there are people who have to be mentioned. They are the lead negotiators for the settlement. Lady Raiha Mahuta held her ground through the most difficult negotiations and did not take any weasel words from officials and she made that very clear. She made me and my former colleague the Hon Dr Michael Cullen sit very patiently and quietly and listen to her views on how this bill should be shaped how the mana whakahaere of Waikato-Tainui should be reinstated and protected and how we should consider what is best for the river. 
This has always been about the health of the river. It is not about many of the issues raised by David Garrett of the ACT Party although he is entitled to his views. It is about the future and the fact that our mokopuna—not only the mokopuna of Waikato-Tainui but all our mokopuna—will be given some ideas on the way they should manage this estate in the future because that has been seriously overlooked in the past. 
In the gallery I see many of the mayors of the Waikato region who played a tremendous part in bringing together a lot of the councillors some of whom in my experience resisted much of the discussion. At the end of the day through their leadership and the co-chairmanship of Tuku Morgan and Gordon who steered this waka through a very very difficult path they were able to complete the work that had been designated to them. 
There are very many people to acknowledge here. At various times I might get the opportunity to thank them. The Maori Affairs Committee did a tremendous job. There were not a lot of differences expressed but I thank the chair of the committee for the steady hand he had on the committee. I also thank officials such as John Grant and Liz Monro who were specialist advisers on how the legislation should be shaped to acknowledge the issues raised by Waikato-Tainui. Indeed I also thank the officials from the Office of Treaty Settlements and my parliamentary colleagues from both sides of the House for a job well done. 
No reira na runga i tena e te Kingi mihi ake ana ki a koe. Tuku atu nga mihi o te Tumuaki o te Haahi nana i korero tahi maua i te po. E tuku ana i tana mihi ki a koe na te mea na he kaupapa nui tenei nau tonu to iwi i arahi mai. No reira tena koutou tena koutou kia ora tatau. 
[ 
So with that in mind I acknowledge you the King. I convey the sentiments of the head of the Ratana Church whom I spoke with last night. He is aware of the importance of this matter and that you were leading your people here. So salutations and greetings to you and to us. 
]