Paraone Pita: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Paraone Pita: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:19138] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker; engari i mua i te haere tonu ka huri aku mihi ki a koutou mai i te hau kainga o Te Roroa kua tae mai nei i runga i te kaupapa i hakahuihuingia i a tatou i roto i te Whare nei ara ko te wahanga mutunga kia hakaturengia tenei pire. I kite ano au i a koutou i tenei wa ka hoki mahara ki tena o nga matua nga whaea ko ratou i ngaro atu ki te tirohanga kanohi. Na ko te matua a Lovey tena me Ned tena me era atu o nga whaea karanga maha. Kahore kau ke kei waenganui tonu i a tatou i te ra nei a-tinana engari mohio ana au kei konei ratou a-wairua. Tua atu i tena kei te mihi hoki ki tena o nga whanaunga e noho tonu ki te wa kainga e are taringa mai tena pea e matakitaki hoki tena koutou tena koutou a tena koutou katoa.  
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Deputy Speaker; but before I continue I turn to acknowledge those from home from Te Roroa who have arrived here in respect of the matter that has brought us here in the House today the final reading of the bill that will pass into law. As I see you again today my thoughts go back to those fathers and mothers who have passed away such as Lovey Ned and a host of others. Although they are not here physically in our midst today I know for sure that they are present spiritually. Further to that I want to also acknowledge those relatives left at home who might be listening in or watching so greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to us all 
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Before I proceed with my speech I again declare a vested interest in the Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill by virtue of my whakapapa which links me to Te Roroa. Although that may be insignificant to some members of this House concerns have been expressed by people who represent organisations outside this House about my right to participate in the process that has seen this particular bill come to the stage where it is at today. I reaffirm to Te Roroa and my fellow members that in spite of that interest—that whanaungatanga—I do not qualify to be a beneficiary of this settlement. 
This settlement has been through a long process before coming to this House today. That is an indication of just how long the people of Te Roroa have travelled to be able to get a settlement that is something near to what they would like to see. Some people have described this settlement as the wahi tapu settlement because of the extreme interest that Te Roroa place on the land areas included in this settlement that are sacred to them. I ought to say at this time that I know there are other claimants whose own claims encompass much of the area that this particular settlement is all about. I refer to Wai 549 in the name of Rudy Taylor representing the Hokianga hapu and whanau collective. That is not an issue for Te Roroa; that will be an issue between that collective and the Crown. 
One of the comments made during an early Treaty settlement bill discussed by this House was about uniqueness. For me what is unique about this bill is the fact that the original report from the tribunal in hearing evidence about this particular claim led to a change in the legislation affecting land in private ownership. If my memory serves me correctly the original report by the tribunal recommended the return of certain land that was at the time held in private ownership. It is that aspect of the history of this settlement that I want to refer to. 
The reference I make is that people who held ownership of some of the land that is encompassed within this settlement have during the course of this bill making its way through the House made derogatory comments to me and about me in terms of whether I and the party I represent in this House—New Zealand First—thought that this would be a fair and an enduring settlement because of the position taken by the Crown in acquiring certain land that was once in private ownership. The question they asked was whether this settlement would be an enduring one. My response to that concern is that that is a matter between those people and the Crown not between the Crown and Te Roroa. I assure the people of Te Roroa that once this third reading is completed they can depart this House knowing full well that they have received a full and final settlement from the Crown. I hope that it addresses many of the concerns that they had during the process of this bill making its way through the House. 
I know that in all settlements there will always be differences of opinion. There will always be people who oppose or resist any suggestion as to how a settlement should take place. There will always be people who question the quantum. One of the things I have observed that has been different about this particular settlement is that even the negotiators mandated by their iwi had points of difference; I understand that one negotiator actually withdrew from the whole process. I suppose we should not be too surprised about differences of opinion as to the quantum and what should be provided in terms of redress whether it be cultural or commercial redress. But I notice that the bill provides for protocols that will allow communication and dealings between Te Roroa and different Government departments. For many Maori whether they be claimants or not all they want is the opportunity to be part of the process of decision making. In this particular bill like a number of bills preceding it the issue of protocols provides that opportunity for iwi. They want to be assured that they are part of the process of discussing land interests and cultural interests that affect them and that they will have some impact on decisions made by ministries and perhaps also by local bodies. 
I conclude by again congratulating the leadership of Te Roroa. The task has not been an easy one for them but I am not surprised that they have been able to endure the criticism and the hardship that dealing with their own people provides. I wish them all the best. Although those leaders may feel that it has been a hard task to get to this stage I say to them that the real job lies ahead. I conclude by saying as I have said in relation to all settlements that exercising leadership requires leaders to look behind themselves from time to time to ensure that the people they purport to lead are still there. 
Na reira aku whanaunga nga matua nga whaea nga mihi hoki ki a koutou. Nga manaakitanga o Te Runga rawa kei runga i a koutou mo nga ra kei te heke mai. Na reira tena koutou tena koutou kia ora mai ano tatou. 
[ 
Therefore congratulations to you my relatives and also my fathers and mothers. May the protective mantle of the Mighty above be upon you in the days ahead. So greetings to you greetings to you and to us all as well 
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